“Delays in cases are the biggest challenge our criminal justice system faces. It devastates families and litigants,” said Justice Mansoor Ali Shah of the Supreme Court of Pakistan at the final edition of Tec
hnology for Justice Forum (T4JF) 2022, held in Islamabad, where he honoured the event as the keynote speaker.
“The honourable judge emphasised on transforming the way we hear cases through tec
hnology to deal with over 2.2 million cases pending before the courts. We need to reduce delays, expedite court procedures and strengthen alternate dispute mechanisms,” he said.
“Commentin
g on the procedural delays caused by the manual system,” Justice Mansoor Ali Shah said.
“We have to reduce the shelf life of cases to one year by strengthening the alternative dispute resolution mechanisms, introducing online hearing arrangements and establishing proactive data-based monitoring systems. We need to improve our case management systems to prioritise human rights cases and cases related to women, children and prisoners,” he said.
The conf
erence was aimed at promoting tech-based solutions to reform Pakistan’s justice system. This forum brought together government
stakeholders, legal practitioners and entrepreneurs to showcase groundbreaking innovations holding the potential to revolutionise dispensation and access to justice in Pakistan. The closing remarks at the conf
erence were given by Chief Justice of the Islamabad High Court (IHC), Hon. Justice Athar Minallah.
Chief Justice Islamabad High Court, Justice Athar Minallah concluded the conf
erence by emphasizin
g on the need for a “movement towards reimagining the justice system according to the tec
hnological requirements of the 21st century”. Commentin
g on the initiatives taken by the IHC, Chief Justice Minallah added, “Islamabad High Court was the first court to introduce e-court proceedings during Covid-19, and upload all interim court orders on its website.”
In attendance were some of the most prominent personalities from the legal fraternity including Omar Soomro – Secretary of the Sindh High Court Bar Association, Shoaib Shaheen – President of the Islamabad High Court Bar Association, Munizae Jahangir – Board Member of the Asma Jahangir Legal Aid Cell and Muhammad Ahmad Pansota – Sr. Legal Analyst and Partner at Ahmad & Pansota.
“Going forward, tec
hnology is becoming more relevant in all walks of life especially when it comes to the legal field and access to justice”, said Bernhard Schlagheck, the German Ambassador to Pakistan.
T4JF was founded in 2019 with a vision to pr
ovide indigenous solutions for the problems plaguing the justice system of Pakistan such as clearing the backlog of over 2.1 million cases, digitizing court records, developing mobile applications for litigants to gain easy access to justice and building a thriving community of lawyers. Two editions of the conf
erence were held earlier this year in Lahore and Karachi.
“This final edition of T4JF 2022, is a culmination of this year’s journey proving the potential of legal tech in Pakistan. The forum’s central aim is an improved human rights regime, greater transparency, accountability, and efficiency in the legal system. Introducing tec
hnology in the legal system means that we are empowering the people of Pakistan. Our dream is to make every Pakistani a part of this digital legal Pakistan with justice in the palm of their hands”, said Isfundiar Kasuri, Co-Founder Vakeel Online.