The Chief Justice of Pakistan, Yahya Afridi, revealed that the Chinese judges were shocked by Pakistan’s enormous judicial backlog.
During his visit to the SCO Chief Justices’ Conference in Hangzhou, Afridi led a delegation to China to explore its efficient systems and technology-driven solutions for reducing case delays in Pakistan.
Chief Justice Yahya Afridi recently spoke with court reporters about his trip to China, where he led a five-member delegation to the 20th Conference of Chief Justices of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Member States in Hangzhou.
Chinese judges, operating under the Supreme People’s Court with 367 judges and zero pending cases, were shocked by Pakistan’s overburdened judiciary, which grapples with millions of unresolved cases. Afridi responded to their inquiries, stating, “We’ve come to learn how to tackle these cases,” emphasising technology’s role in streamlining processes.
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Afridi’s delegation included Justices Amin-ud-Din Khan and Shahid Waheed, alongside district judges Zafar Jan (Gwadar) and Nadia Gul Wazir (Lakki Marwat), reflecting diverse judicial representation. He also held “significant” talks with Indian judges, withholding details for future discussions, and met Iran’s Chief Justice, fostering regional judicial dialogue.
According to the Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan, the country’s judiciary has a backlog of over 2 million cases. This situation is largely due to limited resources and manual processes. In contrast, China’s technology-driven system, which features automated case management, provides a potential model for reform.
