ISLAMABAD; Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi has once again declined to grant Justice Mansoor Ali Shah a no-objection certificate (NOC) to participate in an international conference abroad.
Justice Mansoor had been invited by Yale Law School in the United States to attend its annual conference, “Global Constitutionalism 2025”, scheduled from September 10 to 13. Sources said that Yale has extended invitations to Justice Mansoor for the past five years. The event brings together senior judges from various countries along with prominent scholars from institutions such as Yale, Harvard, and Princeton.
According to reports, Justice Mansoor was expected to present a paper on the role of artificial intelligence in the judiciary. Yale Law School had also formally requested the CJP to nominate him, while Justice Mansoor submitted his own application on August 6. However, the Supreme Court Registrar informed the university that the judicial year in Pakistan begins on September 8 with a full-court session, where judges review the annual agenda and set institutional priorities. The Registrar further emphasized that all judges are required to participate in the opening ceremony as part of this long-standing tradition.
In light of these institutional commitments, the Registrar conveyed that Justice Mansoor’s attendance at the conference could not be facilitated.
Sources added that on August 15, Justice Mansoor once again wrote to the chief justice, explaining reasons why the NOC should be issued. However, the request was not entertained. This is not the first such instance; in February, Justice Mansoor was also denied permission to attend arbitration-related events in Saudi Arabia, which led to the cancellation of his planned visit.
