PESHAWAR: Peshawar High Court on Monday formally commenced the judicial year 2026-27 at a ceremony held at its principal seat in the provincial capital, reaffirming its commitment to a justice system that is accessible, transparent, technology-enabled and responsive to the needs of citizens.
A statement issued here said that the ceremony was attended by Chief Justice Peshawar High Court S.M Attique Shah and Judges of the Peshawar High Court, Advocate General KP Shah Faisal Utmankhel, Peshawar High Court Bar Association (PHCBA) president Aminur Rehman Yousafzai and KP Bar Council vice chairperson Asfandyar Khan.
Addressing the ceremony, PHC Chief Justice SM Attique Shah said that successof justice system could not be measured by disposal figures alone. He said that a judgement acquired real meaning when it was implemented and justice reached the person who sought it.
He said that PHC reduced its pendency from 38,060 to 34,450 cases during the previous judicial year. He said that 34,857 new cases were instituted while 38,467 cases were disposed of, resulting in disposal excee ding institution by 3,610 cases.
The district judiciary also recorded disposal exceeding fresh institution across major categories. Between September 2025 and June 2026, district judiciary disposed of 93,281 civil cases, 170,555 criminal cases, 13,215 family cases, 617 rent cases and 14,987 narcotics cases, besides 5,566 execution petitions.
The PHC chief justice said that a major focus of PHC reform programme was the transformation from traditional case disposal towards active, quality-oriented case management.
He said that PHC launched a civil litigation backlog clearance initiative, supported by colour-coded monitoring of cases according to their age and procedural stage. He said that model civil courtsand model district courts were also established in selected districts, while civil adjudication coordination committee and provincial bench-bar liaison committee were strengthened to improve coordination and reduce avoidable delays.
He said that the experience of ‘double docket courts’ established at divisional headquarters of Peshawar, Abbottabad, Swat, Dera Ismail Khan, Mardan, Kohat and Bannu demonstrated the potential of deploying judicial capacity more intelligently. ‘The model will be considered for expansion in other districts according to caseload, local needs and available resources,’ he added.
The PHC chief justice said that the court also focused on improving effectiveness of criminal justice process. He said that from January to August 2026, witness attendance in criminal trials remained 89 per cent while 96 per cent of witnesses were examined by courts.
Besides, he said, under case flow management information system (CFMIS), manual court registers were being transformed into digital records. A pilot digitisation project was launched in four courts of Peshawar district, supported by data-accuracy audits and capacity-building initiatives, he added.
Aminur Rehman Yousafzai, the president of PHCBA, highlighted the importance of a strong and professional benchbar relationship. He also stressed the need for online filing, efficient case fixation, professional training and improved facilities for litigants and lawyers.
The additional attorney general for Pakistan, Sanaullah, reaffirmed commitment to constitutional supremacy, judicial independence and rule of law and advocated next-generation e-courts, paperless filing, court-annexed alternative dispute resolution, stronger case management and specialised benches. He said that the office of attorney general disposed of 9,291 cases during the previous judicial year.
KP Bar Council vice-chairperson Asfandyar Khan highlighted particular challenges confronting judicial officers and lawyers servingin terrorism-affected areas.
The KP advocate general, Shah Faisal Utmankhel, said that public confidence was a measure of justice system. He said that people expected to be heard, treated fairly and provided with justice within a reasonable time.