ISLAMABAD  -  The overall pendency of cases in courts has increased by 3.9%, reaching the staggering number of 2.26 million during the sec­ond half of the year 2023. The Law and Justice Com­mission of Pakistan, in its Bi-Annual Report of Judicial Statistics for the period from July to De­cember 2023, revealed that 82% of the pend­ing cases (1.86 million) were at the district ju­diciary level and the re­maining 18% (0.39 mil­lion cases) were at the upper tier, including the Supreme Court, Federal Shariat Court, and high courts, according to a news release. According to the report, 2.38 mil­lion new cases were filed during the period, while the courts managed to decide 2.30 million cas­es. Despite significant settlement of cases, the pending cases increased due to the continual fil­ing of new ones, the news release said.