Backbone, badly bent

EDITORIAL: Calling the district judiciary the backbone of Pakistan’s justice system is entirely appropriate, because this is where most citizens encounter the courts and where confidence in justice is ultimately won or lost. Chief Justice Yahya Afridi’s emphasis on better working conditions, professional resources and institutional support for judicial officers is therefore welcome. But even a passing look at the state of the district courts shows how badly this backbone has been neglected. Overcrowding, inadequate resources, limited specialisation, procedural delays, largely unhygienic premises, and corruption have accumulated over decades, leaving the tier closest to ordinary citizens carrying an enormous burden with far too little institutional support. Some recent initiatives recognise parts of the problem. Solarisation of court complexes, e-libraries, internet facilities, clean drinking water and Women Facilitation Centres are worthwhile improvements, especially in underserved districts. There has also been progress in disposal, with more than 1. 46 million time-bound cases decided between September 2025 and July 2026 and Model Criminal and Civil Courts disposing of more than 133, 000 cases. Such numbers deserve recognition, as do judicial officers performing difficult jobs under demanding conditions. Yet disposal statistics and improved facilities can only tell part of the story. The basic test of a judicial system remains the quality, accessibility and timeliness of the justice it delivers. Pakistan continues to fall badly short. The World Justice Project’s 2025 Rule of Law Index ranked the country 129th out of 143 jurisdictions for civil justice and 101st for criminal justice. Those numbers should command at least as much attention as commendations for judicial excellence because they capture the much larger institutional challenge confronting the courts. Corruption must also be confronted far more directly. A July report by the International Federation for Human Rights and the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan described corruption as widespread and systemic across the country’s justice system. At the district level, the problem extends beyond allegations involving judges or lawyers. Litigants interact with a much wider machinery of court officials and lower staff, where access to files, procedural movement and routine administrative functions can create opportunities for petty corruption and influence. For an ordinary citizen, these interactions are part of the justice system just as surely as the eventual appearance before a judge. That makes institutional wellbeing an important reform objective, but it must be accompanied by much stronger accountability. Judicial officers require proper salaries, manageable workloads, modern infrastructure, continuing professional training and access to technology and legal resources. Courts also need better case management and greater specialisation as commercial, financial, technological and other disputes become increasingly complex. At the same time, credible complaint mechanisms, transparent performance standards and firm action against corruption throughout the court hierarchy are indispensable. The higher judiciary bears particular responsibility because many of the reforms, resources and administrative priorities affecting district courts are ultimately shaped from above. Describing district judges as the backbone of the system must therefore translate into sustained institutional investment rather than occasional attention. The conditions under which judges work inevitably affect performance, but the conditions under which litigants seek justice matter equally. A courthouse equipped with better facilities still fails its central purpose if a citizen must wait for years, navigate corruption, or spend beyond their means to secure a decision. The Chief Justice is right to place the district judiciary at the centre of the reform conversation. That recognition should now provide an opportunity for a much more searching examination of why this crucial tier was allowed to become so overburdened and poorly served in the first place. A backbone deserves support. In Pakistan’s justice system, it also urgently requires repair. Copyright Business Recorder, 2026

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