The Peshawar High Court (PHC) has reduced its pending caseload and is considering expanding its “double docket courts” model to additional districts based on workload, local requirements and available resources, Chief Justice S.M. Attique Shah said.
He was speaking at a ceremony attended by PHC judges, KP Advocate General Shah Faisal Utmankhel, Peshawar High Court Bar Association (PHCBA) President Aminur Rehman Yousafzai and KP Bar Council Vice Chairman Asfandyar Khan, among others.
Chief Justice Attique Shah said the performance of the justice system should not be assessed solely on the number of cases disposed of, stressing that a judgment only had real value when it was implemented and justice reached the litigant.
He said the PHC reduced its pending cases from 38,060 to 34,450 during the previous judicial year. A total of 34,857 cases were instituted during the period, while 38,467 were disposed of, resulting in disposals exceeding new filings by 3,610 cases.
The district judiciary also recorded higher disposals than fresh institution across major categories. From September 2025 to June 2026, it disposed of 93,281 civil cases, 170,555 criminal cases, 13,215 family cases, 617 rent cases and 14,987 narcotics cases, along with 5,566 execution petitions.
The chief justice said the PHC’s reform programme was focused on shifting from conventional case disposal towards active and quality-oriented case management.
He said the court had launched an initiative to clear the backlog of civil litigation, supported by a colour-coded monitoring system that tracks cases according to their age and procedural stage.
Model civil and district courts had also been established in selected districts, while the Civil Adjudication Coordination Committee and Provincial Bench-Bar Liaison Committee had been strengthened to improve coordination and minimise avoidable delays, he added.
Referring to the “double docket courts” established at the divisional headquarters of Peshawar, Abbottabad, Swat, Dera Ismail Khan, Mardan, Kohat and Bannu, Justice Attique Shah said the initiative had demonstrated the potential of making more effective use of available judicial resources.
“The model will be considered for expansion in other districts according to caseload, local needs and available resources,” he said.
The chief justice also highlighted measures aimed at improving the criminal justice process. He said witness attendance in criminal trials stood at 89 per cent between January and August 2026, while courts examined 96pc of the witnesses.
He said the Case Flow Management Information System (CFMIS) was also being used to replace manual court registers with digital records. A pilot digitisation project had been launched in four courts in Peshawar district, supported by data-accuracy audits and capacity-building programmes.
PHCBA President Aminur Rehman Yousafzai stressed the importance of a strong and professional relationship between the bench and bar. He called for online filing, more efficient case fixation, professional training and improved facilities for litigants and lawyers.
Additional Attorney General for Pakistan Sanaullah reaffirmed the government’s commitment to constitutional supremacy, judicial independence and the rule of law. He called for the development of next-generation e-courts, paperless filing, court-annexed alternative dispute resolution, stronger case management and specialised benches.
He said the Office of the Attorney General had disposed of 9,291 cases during the previous judicial year.
KP Bar Council Vice Chairman Asfandyar Khan drew attention to the challenges faced by judicial officers and lawyers working in terrorism-affected areas.
KP Advocate General Shah Faisal Utmankhel said public confidence was a key measure of the justice system’s effectiveness. He said people expected to be heard, treated fairly and provided justice within a reasonable timeframe.
He also stressed the need for closer coordination among the judiciary, police, prosecution, prison authorities, government departments, law officers and the bar to improve the delivery of justice.
