‘UN Convention on Foreign Arbitral Awards’: HCs to constitute designated benches to deal with cases: NJPMC
ISLAMABAD: The National Judicial Policy Making Committee (NJPMC) decided that every High Court shall constitute designated benches for dealing with cases arising out of the United Nations Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards and the Enforcement (Arbitration Agreement and Foreign Awards) Act, 2011.
The Committee on Wednesday held its meeting, chaired by Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi and participated by Chief Justices of all the High Courts and the Secretary, Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan at the Supreme Court building.
The NJPMC while appreciating the Islamabad High Court for the expeditious disposal of high-impact tax cases, expressed satisfaction with the overall compliance by the High Courts with its directions. The Committee appreciated the measures undertaken by the FBR to discourage frivolous litigation, including screening of merit-less appeals and rationalisation of appellate practices. It also lauded Pakistan Revenue Automation Limited (PRAL) for the progress made in developing High Court–wise Litigation Management System (LMS) dashboards on the pattern of the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
READ MORE: National Judicial Committee approves implementation of key reforms
The NJPMC was apprised that the federal government is developing a structured redressal mechanism for addressing complaints of non-compliance with the legal requirement of production of arrested persons before the magistrate within 24 hours, which is expected to be finalised within two weeks. The Attorney General for Pakistan was asked to keep the Committee apprised regularly of the progress and implementation of the framework through periodic updates.
The Committee appreciated all the High Courts in general and the District Judiciary in particular, for exemplary performance in the disposal of a huge number of cases within the prescribed timelines.
Lahore High Court disposed of 622,831 cases, Sindh High Court 42,370, Peshawar High Court 66,303, Balochistan High Court 10,276 and Islamabad High Court disposed of 12,226 cases from 1st September, 2025 to 15th January, 2026.
Commending the efforts of District Judiciary in reduction of backlog, the Committee unanimously recommended acknowledgment of best performers amongst the Judicial Officers, by giving them certificates, souvenirs and consideration for international exposure visits. After reviewing the implementation status of Model Trial Courts, the NJPMC noted with appreciation the progress made by the High Courts in the disposal of chronic civil and criminal cases, particularly the Lahore High Court, almost all cases older than 2020 have been disposed of. The Committee urged the High Courts to endeavour to further reduce pendency during the next reporting period.
The NJPMC commended the progress made by the Islamabad High Court in advancing jail reform initiatives. The Chief Justices of the High Courts were asked to convene meetings of their respective Provincial Justice Committees for a comprehensive review and finalisation of the Action Plan on Jail Reforms. The Committee emphasised the importance of coordinated oversight and timely implementation to ensure meaningful and sustainable improvements in prison administration and inmates’ rights.
The NJPMC appreciated the efforts of Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, a judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and Chairman National Judicial Automation Committee for his contribution in finalising the guidelines and the development of National Judicial Analytics Dashboard.
The NJPMC showed satisfaction on the progress made by the Ministry of Law and Justice, initiating legislative amendments for providing framework for Mandatory Pre-Trial Mediation and urged the High Courts to coordinate with their respective Law Departments to expedite similar legislative and procedural measures required for effective implementation of Mandatory Pre-trial Mediation mechanisms.
The Committee resolved that the High Courts shall accord priority to the review of existing Rules and, where necessary, amend or frame new Rules to facilitate comprehensive electronic filing across all districts. A phased and pragmatic approach shall be adopted to ensure procedural clarity, system preparedness, and capacity building at the district level.
The NJPMC unanimously decided to focus on provision of Women-Centric Facilities across all provinces during the 2026-27. The LJCP Secretariat shall develop a concept note, proposing design and scope of these facilities, covering free legal aid, psycho-social services, visitation, mediation, GBV support systems and Child Protection Mechanisms and shall share it with the High Courts for their input.
The meeting constituted a Committee headed by the Chief Justice of the BHC and comprising the Registrars of all the High Courts for suggesting measures to provide for statutory framework on the pattern of Cost of Litigation Act, 2017 as enforced in Islamabad Capital Territory.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026