A cake-cutting ceremony was held today at the Ministry of Law and Justice to celebrate Pakistan’s achievement of the prestigious Commonwealth “Access to Justice Innovation Award 2026”, conferred in recognition of the Ministry’s landmark digital justice initiatives and reform agenda aimed at strengthening access to justice.
The award highlights the impact of the Government of Pakistan’s digital reforms, particularly Pakistan Code and the Document Retrieval System (DRS), in transforming access to authentic legal information and justice-related services for citizens.
The Commonwealth Access to Justice Innovation Award recognizes innovative government initiatives that use creative and technology-driven approaches to expand meaningful access to legal services, especially for vulnerable and underserved communities, aligned with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16.3 on ensuring equal access to justice for all.
The ceremony was attended by Federal Minister for Law and Justice Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar, Minister of State for Law and Justice Barrister Aqeel Malik, Federal Law Secretary Raja Naeem Akbar, and senior officers of the Ministry, including Aisha Rasool, Awais Nouman Kundi, and Khashi-ur-Rehman.
Speaking on the occasion, Federal Minister Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar congratulated the Federal Law Secretary and the entire team for their dedication and professionalism. He reaffirmed that the Ministry is steadily progressing towards digitization and modernization, while also adopting emerging trends such as Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) and automation. He noted that sustained collective effort has significantly strengthened institutional performance, earning international acknowledgement through this distinguished Commonwealth award.
Minister of State Barrister Aqeel Malik also congratulated the Federal Law Secretary and the entire team on this remarkable achievement.
Federal Law Secretary Raja Naeem Akbar acknowledged the vital contributions of officers and technical experts, particularly the Pakistan Code and DRS teams, stating that their round-the-clock efforts were instrumental in achieving this milestone and securing international recognition.
The Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has also extended felicitations to the Ministry of Law and Justice on Pakistan’s achievement of the Commonwealth Access to Justice Innovation Award. The Prime Minister appreciated the Ministry’s digital reforms and revolutionary initiatives aimed at improving access to justice, undertaken under the leadership of Law Minister Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar and Federal Law Secretary Raja Naeem Akbar.
Pakistan’s technological innovation was presented by the Federal Law Secretary, Ministry of Law and Justice, representing Pakistan at the Meeting of Commonwealth Law Ministers, held in the Republic of Fiji, where he showcased the Ministry’s digital justice reforms and their public impact.
The ceremony concluded with a renewed commitment to sustain reform initiatives, expand digital justice services, and further strengthen citizens’ access to legal information and justice mechanisms across Pakistan.
