ISLAMABAD – Senior puisne judge of Supreme Court, Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, on Monday took oath as the acting chief justice of Pakistan (CJP).
Justice Munib Akhtar administered oath to him at a ceremony which was attended by apex court judges, attorney general and lawyers.
Justice Shah has been the acting CJP as Justice Yahya Afridi has left for a foreign tour along with a delegation.
Justice Afridi will head a distinguished delegation to the 20th Conference of Chief Justices of the Supreme Courts of SCO Member States, scheduled in Hangzhou, China, from April 22 to 26, 2025.
Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan, Justice Shahid Waheed, and two judges of the district judiciary: Zafar Jan, District and Sessions Judge Gwadar, the remotest district of Balochistan, and Nadia Gul Wazir, Senior Civil Judge District Lakhi Marwat a remote district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, are part of the delegation.
Their participation underscores Justice Yahya Afridi commitment of inclusivity within the judicial system as well ownership of judicial officers performing duty at way off places.
During this significant event, an important Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is expected to be signed between the Supreme Court of Pakistan and the Supreme People’s Court of China. This MoU aims to significantly enhance bilateral judicial cooperation by establishing institutional linkages, facilitating capacity-building initiatives, and promoting knowledge exchange in critical areas, including international commercial law, arbitration, cybercrime, financial crime, climate change litigation, and judicial technology integration.
Moreover, the MoU seeks to deepen collaboration in dispute resolution, recognition and enforcement of judicial decisions, and mutual legal assistance in civil matters, reaffirming the shared commitment of both nations towards judicial independence, sovereignty, and adherence to the rule of law.
Justice Shahid Waheed will deliver a keynote speech titled “Judicial Application of Artificial Intelligence,” highlighting AI’s transformative potential to enhance judicial efficiency, transparency, and accessibility. Justice Waheed will discuss Pakistan’s ongoing initiatives, including AI-driven legal drafting in collaboration with global institutions such as ETH Zurich, advanced AI-based legal research tools, digitization of court records, and predictive analytics for ensuring consistent judicial outcomes. He will underscore the ethical framework necessary for AI integration, focusing on transparency, human oversight, bias mitigation, data protection, judicial training, accountability and establishing an AI Ethics Committee within Supreme Court of Pakistan to oversee the responsible and transparent application of AI technologies.
Additionally, on the sidelines of the SCO Conference, Chief Justice Yahya Afridi will hold bilateral discussions with the Chief Justice of Iran, exploring ways to deepen judicial exchanges and collaborative engagements. This interaction underscores Pakistan’s dedication to strengthening international judicial cooperation.
Following the SCO conference, Chief Justice Afridi will proceed to Istanbul at the special invitation of Mr. Kadir Özkaya, President of the Constitutional Court of Türkiye, to attend the 63rd Anniversary celebrations of the Turkish Constitutional Court from April 24 to 27, 2025. This visit is expected to enhance judicial cooperation and deepen the ties between the judicial institutions of Pakistan and Türkiye.
The Supreme Court of Pakistan anticipates these engagements will significantly contribute to judicial efficiency and improved access to justice, yielding mutual benefits for the judicial systems and citizens of the participating nations.
