Islamabad (Web Desk): The newly-formed six-member Constitutional Bench of the Supreme Court (SC) on Friday resumed hearing cases that have been pending for years.
The bench, established under the 26th Constitutional Amendment, convened for its first official session on Thursday with the goal of addressing the significant backlog of cases and delivering long-awaited justice to petitioners.
Led by Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan, the bench includes distinguished judges including Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi, Justice Musarrat Hilali, and Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan.
Due to the unavailability of Justice Ayesha A. Malik on these dates, the committee decided to proceed with all available judges.
The bench had a packed schedule for November 14 and 15, with a total of 34 cases listed for hearing. On Thursday, 18 cases were heard, while the remaining 16 cases were slated for Friday.
The bench is expected to hear a wide range of cases, including those involving allegations of money laundering and the repatriation of stolen funds, workplace harassment of women, the long-running legal dispute between Ali Zafar and Meesha Shafi regarding harassment claims, the privatization of the Islamabad Convention Centre, the jurisdiction of Gilgit-Baltistan courts, and various petitions related to energy projects filed by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif.
Earlier on Thursday, the bench heard 18 cases, progressing with four while concluding 14 others. Some of these were dismissed as frivolous, a point highlighted by Justice Mandokhail, who remarked that approximately 60,000 cases remain pending due to similar meritless petitions.
With this resumption, the SC hopes to streamline its proceedings and clear the backlog of cases that have long awaited resolution, sending a strong signal about the top court’s commitment to justice and efficiency.