PESHAWAR: Terming the resolution of inheritance cases by judiciary in the province a major challenge, Peshawar High Court Chief Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim stated on Saturday that special courts at divisional level would be notified soon for that purpose.

The PHC chief justice noted that a substantial backlog of 18,000 to 20,000 inheritance cases currently existed and the establishment of special courts was a key step towards addressing the issue.

He was addressing concluding ceremony of three-day training for the first batch of civil judges/ilaqa qazis on ‘fast tracking of inheritance cases’ at Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Judicial Academy.

The initiative is aimed at expediting the resolution of inheritance cases, having a significant backlog in the province.

Training for judges on speedy disposal of cases concludes

Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim said that a special bench would also be constituted in the high court for deciding inheritance cases. He asked judges to work diligently and impartially to ensure timely and just resolutions of the cases.

He outlined various initiatives aimed at improving judicial performance and welfare of judges. These include addressing the shortage of judges, implementing welfare projects such as endowment funds and providing opportunities for international training for judges of district judiciary.

He also announced plans to revise annual confidential reports (ACRs) of judges in consultation with judicial officers.

Other guests in attendance included PHC registrar Barrister Ikhtiar Khan, KP Judicial Academy director general Jehanzeb Shinwari, its dean of faculty Ziaur Rehman and directors and officers of the academy.

They said that PHC had taken a proactive approach by establishing special courts at divisional level to address the growing number of inheritance cases. These courts will gradually be extended to district and tehsil levels.

They said that to ensure the effective functioning of those courts, Judicial Academy was providing specialised training to judges.

The training focused on equipping judges with the necessary skills, knowledge and understanding to efficiently and effectively resolve inheritance disputes. Twenty-four civil judges/ilaqa qazis from various districts participated in the training.

The director-general of Judicial Academy congratulated the participants upon successful completion of the training. He highlighted importance of timely and effective resolution of inheritance disputes in promoting social harmony and ensuring justice within the society.

At the end, the PHC chief justice and director-general of the academy distributed certificates amongst the participants of the training.

Published in Dawn, January 26th, 2025