On Tuesday, March 31, 2026, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi chaired the tenth review meeting on judicial reforms, revealing significant progress in clearing the long-standing backlog of the apex court.
Despite the regional turmoil and high-stakes diplomacy currently centered in Islamabad, the judiciary has maintained a high rate of disposal, aimed at restoring public confidence in the legal system.
Performance Metrics (January – March 2026)
The meeting reviewed the “Reform Action Plan” (RAP) and highlighted a positive trend in case management:
- Disposal Rate: While 3,600 new cases were filed over the last three months, the court successfully disposed of 5,383 cases.
- Net Pendency: This effort has reduced the total number of pending cases in the Supreme Court to 34,083.
- Legacy Cases: In a move to address “justice delayed,” CJP Afridi directed that all cases filed up to 2018 be prioritized for immediate hearing to clear the year-wise backlog.
The Death Penalty Ultimatum
The most striking announcement from the meeting was the decision regarding capital punishment:
- 30-Day Deadline: All pending death penalty appeals are to be scheduled for hearing within the next 30 days.
- Progress Check: It was noted that the number of pending death sentence cases has already plummeted from 384 (when CJP Afridi took office in October 2024) to just 60 currently.
The Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) & 27th Amendment
The judicial landscape has been significantly reshaped by the recent 27th Constitutional Amendment, which led to the creation of the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC):
- The Case Split: Before the FCC became operational, the Supreme Court had 56,608 pending cases. Of these, 22,910 (mostly constitutional matters) were transferred to the newly formed FCC.
- Criticism: Legal experts, including former Additional Attorney General Tariq Mahmood Khokhar, have described the FCC’s performance with its 7-judge bench as “unimpressive.” Critics argue that despite heavy public spending, the backlog in constitutional matters remains stagnant.
- Proposal for Expansion: Senior lawyers like Hafiz Ehsan Ahmed are now calling for an increase in the number of FCC judges to manage the nearly 23,000 transferred cases more effectively.
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