ISLAMABAD:
Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi led the Pakistani delegation to the 14th St. Petersburg International Legal Forum (SPILF), Russian Federation, where he engaged with judicial leaders from around the world to strengthen international judicial cooperation and promote Pakistan’s ongoing judicial reform agenda.
The forum, held in St. Petersburg from June 24 to 26, brought together judicial leaders, policymakers, legal scholars and practitioners from numerous jurisdictions. The Pakistani delegation also included the Chief Justice of the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) of Pakistan and the Pakistani Ambassador to the Russian Federation.
On the sidelines of the forum, the Chief Justice held a series of bilateral meetings with heads of foreign judiciaries aimed at strengthening institutional collaboration and expanding judicial dialogue.
Judicial awareness raises eyebrows
Since the adoption of the 26th Constitutional Amendment, the higher judiciary, led by Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi, has been actively engaging with the judiciary of several foreign states.
However, some sections of the legal world are questioning why the chief justice is seeking to establish bilateral judicial cooperation frameworks with countries where, they say, courts operate under executive influence.
The higher judiciary, headed by Justice Afridi, has so far signed memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with the highest courts of China and Turkey. Some lawyers believe that the executive exercises domination over the judicial power of the two countries.
Recently, Justice Afridi held a meeting with representatives of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation to establish a framework for bilateral judicial cooperation.
The proposed collaboration encompasses judicial exchanges, professional and judicial training, legal research, court administration, digital transformation and sharing of best practices.
Waqar Rana, a former additional prosecutor general, says courts in Russia, China and Turkey traditionally support authoritarian regimes to address theoretical and real security concerns.
“Pakistani courts try to maintain a balance between freedom and order, but in recent years there has been a trend towards order, ignoring freedom and seeming to side with the executive,” says Rana.
Commenting on the engagement, lawyer Asad Rahim Khan says that given that the new rules have so restricted judicial interaction with the outside world, it is quite extraordinary that an exception is made for travel to Russia.
“The state of the Russian judiciary – and its totally compromised independence – is well known. At a time when Pakistan faces the greatest judicial regression in its history, can there really be much to learn from a foreign judiciary that has completely subordinated itself to its executive,” he adds.
CJP Afridi is leading the Pakistani delegation to the 14th St. Petersburg International Legal Forum (SPILF), being held from 24 to 26 June 2026 in St. Petersburg, Russian Federation, where he engaged with judicial leaders from around the world to strengthen international judicial cooperation and promote Pakistan’s ongoing judicial reform agenda.
Besides Justice Afridi, the Pakistani delegation includes Chief Justice of the Federal Constitutional Court Aminuddin Khan and Pakistan’s Ambassador to the Russian Federation.
Lawyer Faisal Siddiqi says that with this conference, “the judiciary has acquired its rightful place in the world of autocratic legalism, that is to say, weak courts within a dominant executive power”, he adds.
According to a statement from the Supreme Court, the forum also provided an opportunity to showcase ongoing judicial reform initiatives in Pakistan, including progress in digitalization of courts, responsible adoption of emerging technologies, institutional strengthening and measures to improve access to justice.
These engagements facilitated a meaningful exchange of experiences on contemporary challenges facing justice systems and reinforced Pakistan’s commitment to learning from international best practices.
The opening day concluded with the plenary session, during which the Pakistani delegation interacted with judicial leaders, policymakers, legal scholars and practitioners from numerous jurisdictions, thereby strengthening Pakistan’s engagement with the global legal community.
The delegation’s participation reaffirmed the Supreme Court’s commitment to judicial diplomacy, international cooperation and the promotion of an independent, efficient, accessible and technological judiciary through sustained collaboration with partner judiciaries, said the statement issued by the Supreme Court PRO.
