THOUGH routine activities in Islamabad have been greatly hindered amidst security preparations for another round of negotiations between Iran and the US, the Supreme Court has managed to continue business as usual by turning to technology to keep cases moving. In a press handout issued on Wednesday, the court said it had heard cases this week in which judges, litigants and counsel joined proceedings from different locations using technology. Earlier in the week, it heard a case with the chief justice presiding over proceedings from Islamabad while another judge joined virtually from Lahore. The court also said it relied on “fully digitised case files” during hearings, instead of ink-and-paper records, which it believes substantially enhanced efficiency, speed and transparency. It seems that the court’s reform efforts, aimed at embracing technology as a means to arrest and address its growing backlog, have come a long way since the first e-court session in 2019.

There is no doubt that these are significant developments, and rather welcome ones. It is encouraging to see that at least one part of the judiciary is evolving with the times and adopting technology to facilitate litigants and ease their ordeals. It would, of course, be ideal if these reforms were more widespread within the institution as a whole. The fact remains that only a portion of the cases stuck in the system are before the Supreme Court. The vast majority continue to languish at lower levels of the judiciary, which puts citizens through much unnecessary hardship as they navigate their archaic systems. The Pakistani justice system as a whole needs a complete overhaul, with the ordinary litigant’s interests and facilitation placed front and centre. The Supreme Court’s efforts to modernise itself should inspire and prompt other tiers of the judiciary to also update their systems and processes. The expeditious dispensation of justice should be a facility for Pakistani citizens rather than an ordeal.

Published in Dawn, April 23rd, 2026