ISLAMABAD: The National Judicial Policy Making Committee (NJPMC) will meet on May 26 to develop a policy aimed at creating an institutional response to the emotive and chronic issue of enforced disappearances in the country, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi said on Tuesday.

“I have engaged the government on the subject, the response of which is still awaited but when received will be placed before the chief justices of the high courts during the NJPMC meeting along with suggestions from the lawyers community as well as the response of the intelligence agencies,” CJP Afridi said during an interaction with members of the Press Association of the Supreme Court (PAS) at the Supreme Court Building.

The CJP said the purpose is “to resolve the missing persons issue and to deal with the future cases by the high courts,” adding “there should be a closure of this issue for all times to come.” He assured the media he was open to suggestions from journalists and said the missing persons issue will always be the first agenda item for future NJPMC meetings.

Apex court pushing for paperless system, will discourage hard copy petitions from June 15

In a move to promote a paperless system, the CJP announced that from June 15, the Supreme Court will discourage receiving petitions in hard copy and encourage soft copy submissions. This will also help in developing a database of cases for efficient case management.

Regarding the transfer of three judges to the Islamabad High Court, the CJP said he would adhere to his earlier opinion and consent but believed “the seniority of transferred judges from one high court to another should start from the bottom.”

The CJP refrained from commenting on the 26th amendment, noting it was subjudice before the Constitutional Bench.

“We should be careful to comment on such matters since the Parliament was supposed to make laws and bring constitutional amendments, which we should respect until the amendment was taken back by the parliament or struck down by the courts,” he said.

Published in Dawn, May 7th, 2025