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Tag: women facilitation centres

  • Women Facilitation Centres for Courts Across Pakistan

    Women Facilitation Centres for Courts Across Pakistan

    Women facilitation centres will be established in courts across Pakistan, with the first phase covering one centre in each of the four provinces, after a meeting of the Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan reviewed progress on the initiative on Thursday.

    Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Yahya Afridi, who chairs the Law and Justice Commission, presided over the meeting at the Supreme Court in Islamabad. The meeting was attended by the Registrar of the Supreme Court, the commission’s secretary Captain (retired) Mushtaq Ahmad, representatives of the high courts, architects and officials of the National Engineering Services Pakistan (NESPAK).

    According to the Associated Press of Pakistan, the chief justice said the establishment of dedicated women facilitation centres in all four provinces and Islamabad during 2026-27 was a key priority. The centres will work as one-window facilities, providing women litigants with guidance, information and legal assistance under one roof in a safe, dignified and accessible environment.

    The centres are intended to make access to justice easier for women by reducing the practical barriers they face, including difficulties in navigating court procedures, obtaining legal advice and finding private consultation facilities, while protecting their privacy, security and dignity.

    Each centre will include a reception area, a guidance desk, comfortable waiting rooms, clean washrooms and separate consultation rooms for women, along with facilities for legal aid and legal advice. Space will also be set aside for mediation and alternative dispute resolution, and the centres will offer psychosocial and social support to women in need.

    The centres will also be accessible to women with disabilities, with special ramps, accessible entrances and clear signage, so that women facing mobility difficulties can use the facilities without hindrance.

    The meeting was informed that consultations with the high courts of all four provinces had been completed and that locations for the first four centres had been identified. A nationwide design competition for the centres was held under the Institute of Architects Pakistan, and the three best designs have been shared with all the high courts so that suitable designs can be selected according to local requirements.

    The chief justice directed NESPAK to begin work on establishing the centres, and said NESPAK and the Islamabad-Rawalpindi chapter of the Institute of Architects Pakistan would coordinate the design and implementation process in consultation with the relevant high courts to ensure timely completion.

    He also noted that during 2025-26, courts and bar associations across the country had been provided with uninterrupted electricity, e-libraries with internet facilities and clean drinking water, along with other basic facilities for women.

  • One Facilitation Centre for Women in Every Province: CJP Afridi Approves Landmark Plan

    One Facilitation Centre for Women in Every Province: CJP Afridi Approves Landmark Plan

    Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Yahya Afridi has approved the establishment of women facilitation centres across the country, with one centre in each of the four provinces to be set up in the first phase.

    A meeting of the Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan, chaired by the chief justice, reviewed progress on establishing the centres and decided to begin with one in every province. The centres will provide women litigants with guidance and assistance in a safe, dignified and accessible environment.

    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 commission posted in the four provinces, along with the architects who secured the top three positions in the design competition, also joined 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.

    He 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.

    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, and the three winning designs had been shared with all high courts so they could select suitable designs according to local requirements. 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 the project.