CJP Afridi approves establishment of women facilitation centres in four provinces

The meeting was attended by the Supreme Court Registrar, Law and Justice Commission Secretary Captain (retd) Mushtaq Ahmed, Balochistan High Court Registrar Nasir Khan, former Chairperson of the Institute of Architects Pakistan Ruvayda Hameed, NESPAK General Manager Faisal Majeed, Waqar Sheikh and members of the relevant committees.

Resident Additional Secretaries of the Law and Justice Commission posted in the four provinces, along with the architects who secured the top three positions in the design competition, also attended the meeting via video link.

Chief Justice Afridi highlighted reforms undertaken during 2025-26 to improve judicial facilities, saying courts and bar associations had been provided with uninterrupted electricity, e-libraries, internet connectivity and clean drinking water. He said projects to provide basic facilities at courts and bar associations across the country, including Islamabad, had been completed.

The chief justice said establishing women facilitation centres in the four provinces and Islamabad during 2026-27 was a key priority. The centres will provide women with information, guidance and legal assistance under one roof. The one-window facility will reduce the need for women litigants to visit multiple offices and make repeated trips to courts.

The centres will have reception areas, guidance desks, comfortable waiting rooms, clean washrooms, separate consultation rooms for women, and facilities for legal advice and assistance. Dedicated spaces will also be allocated for mediation and alternative dispute resolution.

Also read: LHC suspends road construction tender funded through Sugar Development Cess. The project will also include psychological and social support for women in need, assistance in accessing relevant institutions, and accessible entrances, ramps and clear directional signs for women with disabilities.

Suitable spaces will also be provided, where required, for meeting children and maintaining dignified contact with them. Chief Justice Afridi said the centres were being established to ensure women's privacy, security, dignity and easier access to justice.

They would help women understand judicial procedures and overcome practical difficulties in exercising their legal rights. He said a nationwide design competition had been organised in collaboration with the Institute of Architects Pakistan. The three winning designs had been shared with all high courts so that they could select suitable designs.

The meeting was informed that consultations with the relevant high courts in all four provinces had been completed and locations for the first four centres had also been identified.

The chief justice directed NESPAK to begin work on establishing the centres, adding that NESPAK and the Islamabad-Rawalpindi chapter of the Institute of Architects Pakistan would provide support for their design and implementation. He said timely completion of the centres and provision of the required facilities would be ensured in consultation with the relevant high courts.