29/01/2026
Since the enactment of the ๐๐ข๐ง๐๐ก ๐๐ข๐ฏ๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ญ๐ฌ (๐๐ฆ๐๐ง๐๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ) ๐๐๐ญ, ๐๐๐๐, which confers unlimited pecuniary jurisdiction on Senior Civil Judges of Karachi, the reform may have a clear long-term upside: faster access to adjudication, better distribution of workload, and improved disposal. However, in Karachi where this shift is being operationalized at scale for the first time since 1947 the transition is exposing serious gaps in capacity, consistency, and implementation of orders. Realistically, it may take a few years for judges, lawyers, and court staff to adjust to a new civil system where even high-stake and complex civil and commercial disputes are tried before a Senior Civil Judge for the first time, justice suffers when the Courtโs comprehension does not match the complexity of the dispute despite full assistance from counsels.
Sometimes, certain judges avoid asking even basic clarificatory questions or engaging with counsel perhaps out of a reluctance to expose any gap in their own legal understanding which, in turn, results in orders that are not only detached from the record and submissions, but are ultimately far more damaging in their consequences.
For instance recently, I argued a service matter (originally pending before the High Court) for over an hour at final arguments. There was no meaningful judicial intervention, no questions, no engagement. Arguments concluded around 12:00 pm, and a 22-page judgement was issued and uploaded by 2:00 pm, creating the troubling impression that the order may have been substantially โpre-draftedโ.
Just as importantly, orders must be implemented. If Senior Civil Judges are now deciding high-stake time sensitive matters, they should also be backed by clear legislation that empowers them to secure compliance including contempt consequences for willful disobedience. When courts can protect and implement their own orders swiftly, justice becomes real not symbolic.
The solution is not to resist reform, but to complete it responsibly: structured training and specialization for Senior Civil Judges in service law, property/title disputes, International Trade, commercial and corporate matters, and complex civil procedure, and especially how and when to exercise โdiscretionโ along with research support and their remuneration/perks must be aligned with the significant increased responsibility and workload. Without that institutional investment, litigants as a whole will continue to bear the cost more of this procedural transition through avoidable error, inconsistent competence, and uncertainty.
