Chief Justice briefs 25 judges picked for China training programme

Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Yahya Khan Afridi briefed 25 judicial officers on Sunday before their departure for a two-week judicial exchange and training programme in China, according to a Supreme Court press release carried by APP and UrduPoint.

The officers form the first batch selected for the programme and were nominated in consultation with the respective high courts on the basis of their performance. The delegation draws on Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Islamabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, and also includes officers serving at the Supreme Court of Pakistan and the Federal Judicial Academy.

The delegation will attend the "Seminar for Judges from Pakistan" at the National Judges College of China from November 18 to December 1, 2026. The programme includes interactive sessions with senior Chinese judges and legal experts, and visits to courts in Beijing and other locations, including Quanzhou.

The exchange is being held under a memorandum of understanding between the Supreme Court of Pakistan and the Supreme People's Court of China. The release said the memorandum provides a framework for bilateral judicial cooperation through professional exchanges, institutional engagement and capacity building.

At the briefing, the Chief Justice called the officers ambassadors of Pakistan's judiciary and asked them to uphold the dignity and values of the institution while studying China's judicial practices, technological systems and case management. He said exposure to foreign judicial systems would broaden their professional perspective and introduce them to new approaches in adjudication, court administration and institutional efficiency, and urged them to apply what they learn in their own jurisdictions.

The release said the briefing acknowledged the work of officers serving in "underserved, remote and conflict-affected areas" under difficult conditions. It described the selection of the first batch as a step towards extending international exposure and professional development beyond the superior judiciary, with the district judiciary treated as the foundation of the justice system.

The Supreme Court said the initiative is meant to promote professional excellence and institutional capacity and to advance what it described as accessible, efficient and people-centred justice across the country.