NJPMC backs evidence-based judicial reforms to strengthen transparency, access to justice and accountability
Chief Justice of Pakistan Yayha Afridi chairing the 61st meeting of the National Judicial (Policy Making) Committee in Islamabad. PHOTO: EXPRESS
ISLAMABAD:
The National Judicial Policy Making Committee (NJPMC) approved in principle the National Judicial Reform Framework, aligned with the World Justice Project Rule of Law Index, describing it as a major step towards evidence-based reforms aimed at improving Pakistan’s justice system, according to a Supreme Court (SC) press release issued on Tuesday.
The decision was taken at the committee’s 61st meeting, chaired by Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi at the Supreme Court. The press release said the framework seeks to “strengthen accessibility, transparency and predictability” in the judicial system through “measurable performance standards, internationally recognised benchmarks and a robust institutional mechanism for continuous performance evaluation.”
The NJPMC said judicial reforms should increasingly be driven by “objective data, measurable outcomes and internationally accepted standards” to “promote institutional excellence, strengthen public confidence and ensure continuous improvement in justice delivery.”
According to the Supreme Court, the chief justices of the high courts attended the meeting, while Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar and the secretary of the Ministry of Law and Justice participated as special invitees. Representatives of the Pakistan Bar Council and the Supreme Court Bar Association were also present.
The committee resolved that the high courts may adopt the National Judicial Reform Framework alongside the Self-Assessment Checklist of the International Framework for Court Excellence (IFCE), with modifications where necessary.
It said the high courts would establish mechanisms for periodic assessments and quarterly reporting on reform progress to ensure sustained implementation.
Also Read: ICCP: cosmetic step or landmark reform
The committee also directed the Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan (LJCP) Secretariat, in coordination with the Ministry of Law and Justice, to establish a dedicated implementation cell. Progress on the framework will be reviewed at the next NJPMC meeting on October 8.
The press release stated that the LJCP Secretariat had been tasked with identifying and validating rule of law indicators for phased integration into the National Judicial Analytics Dashboard (NJAD), in consultation with the high courts and other justice sector institutions.
The secretariat will also develop, with the support of the National Information Technology Board (NITB), a technology platform for generating periodic progress reports, coordinate capacity-building initiatives, and conduct annual assessments of Pakistan’s performance under the World Justice Project Rule of Law Index.
The committee also reviewed progress on the proposed Commission on Enforced Disappearances. The law minister informed the meeting that former Supreme Court judges were being considered to head the commission and said its composition and terms of reference would be finalised soon.
The NJPMC welcomed the government’s measures and stressed “strict compliance with the legal requirement of producing detained persons before the competent court within the prescribed timeframe.”
Concluding the meeting, the committee reaffirmed its commitment to “sustained judicial reforms, strengthened institutional coordination and enhanced access to justice through innovation, evidence-based governance and technology-enabled service delivery.”
