ISLAMABAD, Feb 24: Chief Justice of Pakistan Nazim Hussain Siddiqui here on Thursday urged civil judges and judicial magistrates to minimize the agonies of litigants by curtailing delays in court proceedings.

He was speaking to a group of 45 judicial officers from Punjab at the apex court. The group is attending a three-week refresher course at the Federal Judicial Academy. The academy director-general, Chaudhary Hasan Nawaz, accompanied the judicial officers.

The chief justice told the judicial officers that they could curtail the delays with the help of knowledge and skills acquired during their training at the academy. He also advised them to be punctual.

The judges were asked to be courteous and polite with the lawyers. By your exemplary conduct, you can surely persuade the lawyers to cooperate in the administration of justice, Justice Siddiqui told the group. Lawyers can be indirectly reminded of their onerous duties in this very serious business. Process of justice is the most serious thing on earth.