What the Islamabad High Court’s cause list tells us about Pakistan’s litigation reality

A quick analytical classification of cases listed in the Islamabad High Court shows a striking pattern:

Tax / Customs / Revenue: ~40%

Criminal (bail, appeals, revisions): ~35%

Civil / Property / Family: ~15%

Service / Administrative: ~10%

Two messages stand out.

First, the High Court is functioning largely as a fiscal governance court. Almost half of its time is absorbed by tax, customs and revenue disputes — reflecting deep friction between the state and citizens/businesses in enforcement, compliance, and interpretation.

Second, over one-third of the docket is about criminal liberty — bail, appeals and revisions — reminding us that for many citizens, the High Court is primarily a forum of last resort for freedom.

Civil and family disputes, often seen as core judicial business, now form a much smaller share of the overall workload.