ISLAMABAD: A one-window facilitation center at Pakistan’s top court has provided over 80,000 services to various litigants over the past one year, the Supreme Court’s registrar said on Friday, with the center’s in-charge stressing the initiative aims to simplify court procedures by offering several services under one roof.

The Supreme Court of Pakistan’s Public Facilitation Center (PFC) was inaugurated on Sept. 8, 2025. Established as an initiative by Chief Justice Yahya Afridi, the center provides litigants several services under one roof in an attempt to simplify complicated court procedures for litigants.

Pakistani masses have frequently complained that obtaining documents certified by the court, filing applications and navigating judicial procedures have been cumbersome and time-consuming tasks, requiring them to visit multiple government offices. The Supreme Court’s facilitation center offers assistance to litigants with their applications, provides ease in obtaining access to certified copies of judgments, and allows them to make payments digitally via e-challans, court officials said.

“Since its establishment, around 80,000 services have been provided [by the facilitation center],” Supreme Court Registrar Suhail Muhammad Laghari told Arab News.

“And till now, about 80,000 services have been provided to different litigants, and those are recorded and reported.”

The initiative includes a Legal Aid Cell that provides free legal advice and assistance to individuals who cannot afford legal representation. A dedicated helpline, 1818, guides the masses on court procedures.

“The basic purpose of the center is to provide a one-window facility to litigants, the common public and legal practitioners,” Shumaila Naz, in-charge of the PFC, told Arab News.

“People visiting the court do not have to roam around different branches because everything is provided under one roof.”

She said the center helps litigants in matters such as obtaining court decisions, initial and additional filing of cases or documents, seeking information, making queries and even registering grievances.

“People can simply visit the center,” she added.

‘EXTREMELY HELPFUL’

The facility is also designed to assist people traveling to Islamabad from distant parts of the country, Naz said.

By bringing administrative support, digital services and legal guidance together under one roof, the Supreme Court aims to make access to its services simpler and more convenient for the public, she added.

Laghari said the center had also introduced a centralized mechanism to record complaints and monitor whether issues raised by litigants are actually resolved.

Previously, complaints were often submitted separately to individual officers, leaving the administration clueless about the problems faced by litigants or whether their concerns were being addressed or not, he added.

He said complaints and service-related issues were now recorded at the facilitation center, with reports generated by its officers and shared with the relevant authorities.

“Based on these reports, appropriate policies, standard operating procedures and directions are issued so that people are properly facilitated,” he said.

Laghari said the initiative was particularly important for elderly citizens, persons with disabilities and litigants traveling from far-flung areas. He added that providing many of these services online allowed people to access them without physically visiting the court.

He said 22 services of the Supreme Court were available for litigants online through the center. He explained that the applications were submitted through the facilitation center, after which they are forwarded to the relevant departments who respond online.

For litigants visiting the court in person, the facility has dedicated six service counters to handle different categories of requests.

Mubashar Hussain Kiani, a litigant visiting the Supreme Court, said the center had made obtaining court documents easier.

“This is extremely helpful. The chief justice has provided us with six counters, and each counter gives you information about a separate category of issues,” he said.

Lawyers visiting the court also welcomed the arrangements.

“Yes, I think it [facilitation center] is doing a fantastic job,” Suleman Ahmad, a barrister by profession filing an appeal with the top court, told Arab News.

“It is almost a year old, but the proceedings are streamlined. I think it is very effective.”