President of the Turkish Constitutional Court, Mr. Kadir Özkaya, received the delegation from the Supreme Court of Pakistan, visiting Türkiye to participate in the training programme on “Information Technologies and Innovative Practices in the Field of Higher Judiciary”.

In line with the memorandum of understanding signed between the Constitutional Court of Türkiye and the Supreme Court of Pakistan aimed at enhancing dialogue and cooperation in the field of constitutional justice and strengthening the exchange of mutual experience, the first training programme was held in İstanbul on 3-8 May 2026.

On the final day of the training programme, President Özkaya met with the delegation at the Istanbul Judges’ Guesthouse, comprising Justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan Mr. Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Chief Justice of the Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Court Mr. Ali Baig, and judges serving in various higher judicial institutions of Pakistan.

Cooperation between the two Courts would be further consolidated through joint efforts

In his remarks during the meeting, President Özkaya stated that the cooperation between Türkiye and Pakistan in the field of the higher judiciary would make significant contributions to the protection of constitutional virtues, the safeguarding of fundamental rights and freedoms, and the enhancement of the exchange of judicial knowledge and experience. Emphasising the importance of enhancing the institutional capacity of judicial bodies in the face of rapidly advancing technology, President Özkaya noted that the ongoing engagements and cooperation between the higher judicial institutions of the two countries would be further consolidated through future joint initiatives in various fields.

President Özkaya, emphasising that relations between Türkiye and Pakistan are based on historical solidarity, mutual respect and fraternal ties, further noted that international cooperation in the field of constitutional justice contributes not only to the development of institutional ties but also to the further strengthening of the deep-rooted cordial relations between the two countries.

President Özkaya also expressed his satisfaction that the training programme, held following the memorandum of understanding signed with Mr. Yahya Afridi, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, on 6 April 2026, marked the first activity organised within the framework of cooperation between the two high courts. He accordingly stated that such programmes would continue in the future on various topics.

This programme marks an important step towards closer relations between the two Courts

The training programme hosted by the Turkish Constitutional Court was inaugurated by Vice-President of the Court, Mr İrfan Fidan. In his opening remarks, Vice-President Fidan emphasised that relations between Türkiye and Pakistan extend well beyond ordinary diplomatic relations, reflecting strong bond founded on historical solidarity, mutual respect, and fraternal ties. He further stated that the programme marks an important step towards closer relations between the judicial bodies of the two countries, and underlined that cooperation between the high courts facilitates joint approaches to common issues and enables the exchange of judicial experience across different legal systems.

Emphasising that Pakistan’s deep-rooted legal tradition and strong judicial institutions enjoy a respected standing at both regional and international levels, Vice-President Fidan pointed to the new momentum gained in relations between the two courts following the memorandum of understanding signed in Islamabad by President of the Constitutional Court Mr. Kadir Özkaya and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan Mr. Yahya Afridi.

Vice-President Fidan further noted that constitutional justice today has evolved beyond being merely a component of national legal systems and has become an important part of the global legal dialogue. He added that the exchange of knowledge and experience among supreme judicial bodies is of great importance in the pursuit of protecting the rule of law and safeguarding fundamental rights and freedoms.

The training programme also featured presentations by rapporteur-judges of the Turkish Constitutional Court on the information technology infrastructure of the judicial system in Türkiye and of the Constitutional Court, as well as the duties and powers of the Constitutional Court, the powers and functioning of its Plenary, and the individual application mechanism. In addition, briefings were provided on relations with the Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights, along with the international activities of the Constitutional Court.

As part of the programme, the delegation from the Supreme Court of Pakistan also paid visits to Chief Public Prosecutor of İstanbul Mr. Fatih Dönmez, President of the İstanbul Regional Court of Appeal Mr. Hazar Turan Alim, Chief Public Prosecutor at the Regional Court of Appeal Mr. Metin Sarıhan, and President of the İstanbul Regional Administrative Court Mr. Recep Yılmaz Korkmaz. During these visits, they were given an overview of the judicial system in Türkiye and the functioning of the courts.