1 week Ago By Shahid Rao
ISLAMABAD - The Supreme Court of Pakistan has ruled that Artificial Intelligence (AI) must not replace the critical human role of considering nuance, moral judgment, and equity.The judgment authored by Syed Man-soor Ali Shah in a rent case, affirmed that AI is not, and must never become, a substitute for judicial decision-making. The apex court observed that while AI tools such as ChatGPT and DeepSeek can sig-nificantly enhance judicial capacity, they cannot replace human reasoning, discretion, and empathy, which are central to justice delivery.
He stated that for any justice system to remain fair and just in the age of AI, certain core universal values must be preserved as non-negotiable ethical foundations; first and foremost, human dignity and compassion must remain central, ensuring that algorithms never override mercy or individualized consideration in judgments.He added that fairness and anti-discrimination principles must be hardwired into AI systems to prevent the replication of historical bi-ases, guaranteeing equal treatment under the law.Justice Mansoor wrote that the rule of law must always prevail over the rule of data, with human judges retaining ultimate authority to interpret evolv-ing legal and moral standards.
He added that due process protections, including presumption of inno-cence and right to confront evidence cannot be compromised by automation.The court recommended that the National Judicial (Policy Making) Committee in collaboration with the Law and Justice Commis-sion of Pakistan considers developing comprehensive guidelines on the permissible uses of AI within the judiciary.The judge said that these must delineate clear boundaries, ensuring that AI is used only as a facilitative tool and never in a manner that compromises human judicial autonomy, constitutional fidelity, or public trust in the justice system.
The judgment noted that AI may enhance efficiency and consistency, it cannot replicate the normative judgment, ethical reflection, or contextual sensitivity essential to the act of judging. AI can support judicial functions, it cannot replace the human con-science that animates the judicial role. BNP protesters will not be allowed to enter Quetta: DC The judgment noted that in AI, a hallucination is a fabricated or unfounded output that arises from a purely statistical pattern-matching process rather than an internal fact-checking mechanism.
There-fore, hallucinations present both a technical and judicial challenge. It also said that accountability is a central principle of judicial proceedings, especially when AI may in-form or influence a ruling. It requires that identifiable human authorities hold final responsibility and that mechanisms exist to question and correct any uncertain or objectionable outcomes arising from AI outputs.
Judges retain sole accountability for rulings, ensuring that AI acts only as supportive guid-ance rather than dictating final outcomes.The court reiterated the necessity of human oversight, em-phasizing that judges should examine and, when necessary, override AI-generated recommendations to preserve judicial integrity.The judgment emphasized that fairness and transparency must apply equally to AI-assisted rulings, in alignment with Article 14 of the International Covenant of Civil and Po-litical Rights39 and General Comment No.
3240 of the United Nations Human Rights Committee. PTI leaders asked not to grill each other Meanwhile, the Constitutional Bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan on Friday lifted the stay order on the ap-pointment of judges in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB). The decision came during the hearing of petitions related to judicial appointments in Gilgit-Baltistan region.
During the proceedings, the Attorney General informed the court that the federal government would make appointments in accordance with the Gilgit-Baltistan Order 2018. He also mentioned that consul-tations had been held with the Advocate General of GB regarding the matter. Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail emphasised the importance of fairness, stating, “There should be no injustice.
If there is, it will lead to further complications.” Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar added, “We need to resolve the matter of judges’ appointments without delay.” During the hearing, the GB government withdrew its petition regarding the appointment procedure.
Subsequently, a consensus was reached between the Attorney General of Pakistan and the Advocate General of Gilgit-Baltistan on the appointment process. Shaukat Siddiqui among ex-judges named as JCP members Following the agreement, the Supreme Court lifted the interim stay on judicial appointments in GB. However, the court adjourned the hearing of other related petitions for three weeks.
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