Pakistan, Turkiye sign MoU to strengthen judicial cooperation

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Monday signed a memorandum of understanding with Turkiye’s Constitutional Court aimed at expanding cooperation between the two judicial institutions.

The agreement was signed during a ceremony at the Supreme Court in Islamabad attended by Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi and Kadir Özkaya, president of Turkiye’s Constitutional Court.

A day earlier, the Supreme Court had said it would host a high-level delegation from Turkiye’s Constitutional Court from April 6 to 9, led by Özkaya, for the signing of the MoU.

Speaking before the signing ceremony, Chief Justice Afridi said he hoped the agreement would ‘provide a forward-looking framework for collaboration between the two judiciaries’.

He said the arrangement would emphasise ‘the exchange of judicial knowledge and best practices, the promotion of comparative constitutional jurisprudence, strengthening of institutional linkages and the advancement of capacity building through joint programmes, research, and judicial exchanges’.

The chief justice said a joint working group made up of judges from the Federal Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court would be established under the MoU, adding that it ‘will ensure our cooperation remains active rather than remaining symbolic’.

Justice Afridi said the Turkish delegation’s visit reflected the ‘enduring, historic, fraternal relationship between Pakistan and Turkiye — one that transcends formal diplomacy’.

He said the agreement was not merely a procedural arrangement between courts, but represented a shared commitment to reinforce constitutional governance, uphold the rule of law, safeguard judicial independence and protect fundamental rights.

The chief justice also said judicial institutions could not work in isolation, noting that ‘common challenges such as rapid technological change, evolving understanding of rights, and complex constitutional questions require us to engage in global judicial conversation’.

He said that through such agreements, ‘courts learn from each other and strengthen their collective capacity to deliver justice’.

Concluding his remarks, Justice Afridi expressed the hope that the MoU would ‘pave the way for deeper understanding, meaningful exchanges, and a lasting partnership between our two judiciaries’.

According to the Supreme Court’s statement issued on Sunday, one of the central elements of the proposed cooperation is the professional development of the judiciary, particularly at the district level, through joint training programmes, academic exchanges and exposure to comparative judicial practices.

The statement added that the collaboration is also expected to support the use of modern technologies in judicial processes to improve efficiency, transparency and access to justice.

It further said the visiting delegation is expected to take part in high-level institutional interactions during its stay, along with engagements involving key stakeholders in the justice sector.