CJP Afridi | Pakistan

In his New Year’s message, Supreme Court Chief Justice Yahya Afridi has said that the judiciary will “pursue meaningful reforms” in 2026 in a bid to improve accessibility, reduce delay and strengthen transparency in the justice system. In a message posted on the Supreme Court’s website, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Afridi conveyed his greetings to the people, members of the judiciary and the legal fraternity on the new year. “In the coming year, the judiciary will pursue meaningful reforms aimed at improving accessibility, reducing delay, strengthening transparency, and responsibly leveraging technology in the service of justice,” he said. He said that the efforts would be guided by “a clear focus on outcomes that matter most to the public — timely decisions, understandable processes, and courts that are approachable and humane”. CJP Afridi maintained that it was the judiciary’s responsibility to “ensure that justice is not only done, but is seen to be done — fairly, impartially, and without delay“. “This ...

PTI founder Imran Khan has written a letter to Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi, it emerged on Thursday as party leader Latif Khosa delivered it to the top judge at the Supreme Court. In the letter dated September 16, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, Imran expressed grievances over several matters, including the conditions he has been kept in inside jail, and urged CJP Afridi to direct the Islamabad High Court to fix some “critical petitions” that had been “hanging in the doldrums” for hearing. The petitions he was referring to pertain to Toshakhana and Al Qadir Trust cases. Speaking to the media after delivering Imran’s letter, Khosa said the CJP had sought the ex-premier’s complaints regarding the conditions in jail in writing and assured that his grievances would be addressed and responded to within 24 hours. He said, “We will inform you about whatever happens in [the next] 24 hours.” Khosa said he had also expressed “our reservations” about the judiciary to the chief justice and rai...

Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi on Saturday highlighted the need for “cordial” cohesion and relations between the bench and bars across the country, to preserve the rule of law. Speaking at a judicial conference in Muzaffarabad, the CJP said it was heartening to witness the “spirit of judicial fraternity between Pakistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK)” and extended “full constitutional [and] institutional support” from the Supreme Court to the AJK judiciary. “I earnestly urge my brother judges and my respected bar members of [AJK] to keep three foundational fundamentals in mind in progressing with their future,” CJP Afridi said. “I earnestly state, firstly, it is neither us sitting on the bench, nor for the worthy, respected bar members standing on the roster, but the litigant whose interest must always remain supreme.” He added that secondly, the relationship between the bench and the bar “should always be cordial, constructive and considered”. “Mind you, without this cohesion between the two pillar...

Supreme Court Justice Mansoor Ali Shah has written a letter to Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi asking him to publicly answer six questions regarding “pressing institutional concerns”, it emerged on Friday. In a letter dated Thursday, seen by Dawn.com, Justice Shah said he was reluctantly writing it in “discharge of an unavoidable institutional duty”, adding that what compelled him was “your (CJP’s) persistent and complete indifference”. The judge wrote that his “repeated letters and written communications to you (CJP) on the undermentioned issues have gone unanswered and undiscussed; not once have I received a reply-neither in writing nor verbally”, adding that such silence from the chief justice to the senior puisne judge was “not merely discourteous; it undermines the collegial traditions of this court and violates the institutional courtesy without which a constitutional court cannot function”. Justice Shah said that with the new judicial year commencing from Monday, CJP Afridi had convened a ...

Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi on Tuesday raised questions over some observations made by the Lahore High Court (LHC) on former premier Imran Khan’s bail pleas in eight May 9 cases. In November 2024, a Lahore anti-terrorism court had denied Imran bail in the cases related to the May 9, 2023 riots, including an attack on the house of the Lahore corps commander. The incarcerated PTI leader’s plea challenging that was also rejected by the LHC on June 24. Subsequently, days later, Imran moved the Supreme Court against the high court’s decision. A three-member bench led by CJP Afridi, which also included Justices Muhammad Shafi Siddiqui and Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb, resumed hearing the bail pleas today. Barrister Salman Safdar appeared on behalf of Imran, while Punjab Special Prosecutor Zulfiqar Naqvi was representing the state. During the hearing, CJP Afridi took note of some “findings” issued by the LHC in its detailed verdict of dismissing Imran’s bail pleas. “Can final observations be given in a ...