SOUTH WAZIRISTAN: In a significant step towards improving access to justice in the merged district, a video-link facility for court proceedings was inaugurated in Wana, Lower South Waziristan, on Tuesday.

The facility, which will enable litigants and prisoners to participate in court proceedings through video conferencing, was inaugurated virtually by Peshawar High Court Chief Justice Syed Mohammad Attique Shah.

Deputy commissioner Musarrat Zaman, district police officer Tahir Shah Wazir, court officials and other government representatives attended the ceremony through video link.

Officials briefed the PHC chief justice on the objectives of the initiative and its expected benefits for residents, particularly those living in remote and hard-to-reach areas.

It was stated that residents of Lower South Waziristan, especially those from Wana, Ladha and adjoining regions, had long faced difficulties in accessing judicial services due to considerable travel distances and associated expenses. Litigants often had to travel outside the district to attend hearings and pursue legal matters, resulting in financial burdens and delays, the officials informed the chief justice.

They said the newly-established video-link facility would help address these challenges by allowing litigants, lawyers and other stakeholders to participate in court proceedings remotely. The initiative is expected to save time and resources while making judicial services more accessible to the local population.

Addressing the ceremony, Chief Justice Attique Shah said the judiciary was committed to employing modern technology to improve the delivery of justice and ensure that citizens in remote regions had equal access to judicial services.

“The provision of timely, affordable and effective justice to people living in far-flung areas remains one of our foremost priorities,” he said. “The use of video-link technology will facilitate court proceedings, reduce unnecessary travel and help expedite the disposal of cases.”

The establishment of the facility is being viewed as an important development in the context of judicial reforms introduced following the merger of the former Fata with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Despite the constitutional merger in 2018, judicial offices serving in Lower and Upper South Waziristan have continued to operate from Tank district.

As a result, residents and members of the legal community have often been required to undertake lengthy journeys to pursue legal matters and attend court proceedings.

Published in Dawn, June 24th, 2026