Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi said on Tuesday that a special online course would be launched for young lawyers.

The CJP met the leadership of lawyers’ organisations and briefed them on key decisions of the National Judicial Policy Making Committee. Those present included representatives of the Pakistan Bar Council, provincial bar councils and the Supreme Court Bar. He said projects were under way through the Access to Justice Development Fund (AJDF) and confirmed the launch of a special online course for young lawyers.

According to the statement, judicial reforms included an institutional response to enforced disappearances and measures to protect judges from external pressure. A commercial litigation corridor and model civil and criminal trial courts will be established. Emphasis was placed on introducing a system to decide 13 categories of cases within fixed time limits.

Court-linked mediation mechanisms, a professional excellence index, merit-based judicial appointments and training form part of the reform agenda. It was decided to promote biometric case verification and video-link hearings. Stress was also laid on introducing ethical guidelines for the use of artificial intelligence (AI).

The statement said court solarisation, e-libraries and women facilitation centres are nearing completion. The access to justice projects are expected to be completed by August. Bar representatives underlined the need to enhance the capacity of young lawyers.

The CJP highlighted ongoing training programmes at the Federal Judicial Academy and said consultation with the bar would continue. Bar councils were invited to identify priority needs for the coming year. The directions were issued to provide priority facilities to bar associations in remote and underdeveloped areas.