Pakistan’s judiciary is in a state of profound crisis, characterized by inefficiency, politicization, and a significant backlog of cases, leading to widespread disillusionment among the public. The judiciary, whose primary role is to deliver swift and fair justice, has instead become a bottleneck, with delays even in high-profile political cases. This inefficacy has fostered a sense of despair among the populace, some of whom have resorted to street justice.

The nation is disenchanted with the judicial system’s performance, as evidenced by the Islamabad High Court case that has been pending for two months. The election tribunal case has also seen delays since it began on February 14, 2024. Cases like the Sunni Itehad Council’s issue over reserved seats have been pending for more than 107 days, while the NAB Tarmeem case has been unresolved for over two months. The NAB ordinance case has languished for over two years, and cases from the May 9 incident remain under trial after more than a year. These delays are symptomatic of a broader judicial paralysis.

The backlog of cases continues to swell, with a significant portion of the prison population, approximately two-thirds, consisting of under-trial prisoners awaiting hearings. In June 2023, the Supreme Court was handling 54,387 cases, a number that increased to 57,767 by December 2023. Currently, there are a staggering 2.26 million pending cases. This........

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