Too many accountability courts, Senate orders cuts across Pakistan

Islamabad: The Senate Standing Committee on Law and Justice ordered a review and reduction of accountability courts across the country based on the number of pending cases, stating that too many courts with fewer cases place an unnecessary burden on the public exchequer.

The committee, chaired by Senator Farooq Hamid Naek, was briefed on the number, operation, and case burden of Special Courts and Tribunals operating under federal laws and under the administrative control of the Ministry of Law and Justice.

The committee examined courts where Presiding Officers had not been appointed, the reasons for vacant posts, the number of pending cases, monthly case disposal and whether some courts were no longer needed due to a lower workload.

The committee gave specific instructions to reduce the number of accountability courts throughout the country and to review other Special Courts based on their pending cases.

Chairman Senator Farooq Hamid Naek said the number of courts should match the number of pending cases. He said this would help reduce the burden on the public exchequer and allow judges to move to courts where more cases are waiting.

The Minister of State for Law and Justice, however, cautioned that closing courts solely due to a temporary reduction in workload could create problems later. He said that if the number of cases increased again, setting up the courts would involve a lengthy process.

The committee therefore directed that courts should not necessarily be abolished where the government expects cases to increase in the future. Instead, cases could be transferred to one court while another court remains vacant, allowing its judge to move to a court facing a heavier workload.

The committee also raised an important constitutional question regarding courts dealing with narcotics cases.

Senator Zamir Hussain Ghumro questioned the constitutional and legal basis for maintaining federal or central narcotics courts after the 18th Amendment. He argued that narcotics related matters are not a federal subject and questioned why such courts should continue to operate at the central level.

Senator Zamir Hussain Ghumro said the central narcotics courts should be abolished under the constitutional system after the 18th Amendment.

The committee directed the Ministry of Law and Justice to examine the issue in detail and provide a comprehensive briefing on the constitutional and legal status of CNS Courts at its next meeting.

The committee also sought a detailed briefing on tribunals at its next meeting. The briefing will cover their legal framework, appointment method, province wise membership and the authority responsible for appointing members of each tribunal.

The committee considered the Juvenile Justice System Amendment Bill, 2026, introduced by Senator Sarmad Ali. The Ministry of Law and Justice presented a clause by clause comparison and explained its reasons for opposing the proposed changes.

Chairman Senator Farooq Hamid Naek directed the mover to examine the objections raised by the ministry and deferred further consideration of the bill until the next meeting.

During discussion, Senator Zamir Hussain Ghumro asked whether juvenile law should be treated as criminal law. The chairman ruled that the Juvenile Justice System law is a criminal law and falls within the legislative competence of Parliament.

The Family Courts Amendment Bill, 2026 and the Pakistan Psychological Council Bill, 2025 were also deferred because their movers were not present.

The committee also reviewed salaries, allowances and other benefits of law officers, including Assistant Attorneys General and Deputy Attorneys General.

The Secretary Law and Justice told the committee that summaries had already been moved based on its earlier instructions and that completing the required formalities would take some time.

The committee gave two weeks to complete the official process for bringing the salaries of law officers to parity and directed that the implementation status be presented at the next meeting.