Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Yahya Afridi on Thursday held an interactive and consultative meeting with the vice chairmen and chairmen of the executive committees of the Pakistan Bar Council and provincial bar councils at the Supreme Court of Pakistan as part of ongoing stakeholder engagement aimed at improving the justice sector.
The meeting was attended by representatives of the Pakistan Bar Council, Punjab Bar Council, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Bar Council, Sindh Bar Council, Balochistan Bar Council, AJ&K Bar Council and Islamabad Bar Council, along with officials from the Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan and the Federal Judicial Academy.
During the meeting, representatives of the bar councils appreciated the consultative engagement and acknowledged reform measures being undertaken in the justice sector.
They emphasized the need for enhanced capacity-building opportunities for young lawyers and also discussed issues relating to verification of academic degrees by the Higher Education Commission, periodic rotation of judges and conflicting judgments on similar legal questions.
The Chief Justice briefed participants on Continuing Legal Education programmes being conducted by the Federal Judicial Academy and informed them that the training calendar was available on the academy’s digital platform.
He also said that a dedicated online course had been designed and shared with the bar councils to facilitate broader participation of young lawyers.
The Chief Justice encouraged bar representatives to make effective use of the initiative and said physical training programmes for young lawyers would continue. He added that a specialized training programme for lawyers from Sindh province would be held at the Federal Judicial Academy in July 2026.
Justice Yahya Afridi also requested representatives of the bar councils to share instances of conflicting judgments with the Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan for appropriate consideration, observing that other institutional and administrative matters would be addressed at relevant forums.
The meeting reaffirmed the shared commitment of the bench and the bar towards promoting access to justice, legal empowerment and an independent, responsive and inclusive justice system in the country.