Supreme Court senior puisne judge, Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, has emphasized the urgent need for judicial reforms in Pakistan, highlighting a massive backlog of 2.4 million cases and a critical shortage of judges.
Speaking at a seminar in Karachi, he noted that the country requires between 15,000 to 20,000 judges to effectively handle the caseload. Justice Shah remarked, “The insufficient number of judges has resulted in an overwhelming number of pending cases.”
He pointed out that people tend to approach courts for every issue rather than considering arbitration or alternative mechanisms. “A mindset has developed where litigants prefer seeking court injunctions instead of resolving disputes through other means,” he observed.
Questioning the impact of excessive litigation, he stated, “If everyone rushes to court and obtains stay orders, how will the economy function?”
Addressing the seminar at the Islamic Chamber of Commerce, Justice Shah urged authorities to establish Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) centers across the country. “It is time to implement ADR centers nationwide,” he asserted.
Sindh High Court Judge Justice Yousuf Ali Sayeed and Lahore High Court Judge Justice Jawad Hassan also spoke at the event.
