Pakistani lawyer burns courtroom chair in protest over prolonged case delay

An attorney at the Sindh High Court in Pakistan resorted to an extreme form of protest on Thursday, setting fire to his own chair in the courtroom after growing exasperated with repeated adjournments in a land dispute case. The incident underscores mounting frustration within Pakistan's legal system over case backlogs and delayed judgments. The judge presiding over the matter had kept the verdict pending for approximately 11 months, prompting the outburst. The case in question involves a civil property dispute originating from Nawabshah, a city in Sindh province. Details surrounding the immediate circumstances that led to the lawyer's dramatic action remain unclear, though court officials confirmed the incident occurred during proceedings. The incident highlights ongoing concerns about judicial efficiency in Pakistan's courts, where delays of several months or years are not uncommon, particularly in lower and mid-level courts handling civil matters. Such backlogs have long frustrated legal professionals and litigants alike, creating a bottleneck in the country's judicial system.