Only three of the 1,024 aspirants cleared the KPPSC civil‑judge written test.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Public Service Commission released the results on 5 September, revealing that a mere trio of candidates succeeded in a competition that aimed to fill 105 newly advertised civil‑judge vacancies. With 102 posts now without qualified candidates, the province’s lower courts face a looming staffing crisis that could exacerbate already‑overburdened dockets in district courts from Peshawar to the remote tribal districts.

KP’s judicial system, which handles a wide spectrum of civil disputes ranging from land‑ownership issues to family matters, relies heavily on a robust cadre of civil judges to deliver timely justice. The shortage threatens to lengthen case backlogs, increase pendency rates, and deny citizens swift resolution—particularly affecting low‑income litigants who depend on public courts for affordable legal recourse.

Commission officials attributed the dismal pass rate to the rigorous nature of the written examination, which tests candidates on substantive law, procedural rules, and judicial ethics. While the KPPSC maintains that such exacting standards are essential to safeguard the integrity of the bench, critics argue that the current pipeline of law graduates and bar‑qualified professionals may be ill‑prepared for the depth of knowledge required, pointing to a gap in specialized judicial training programs across the province.

In response, the commission is expected to convene an emergency meeting to decide on remedial measures. Options on the table include organising a supplementary test, extending the application window, or considering internal promotions of experienced magistrates to bridge the immediate void. Similar shortfalls have prompted ad‑hoc recruitment drives in other provinces, highlighting a broader national challenge of aligning judicial quality standards with the urgent need for personnel.

The episode underscores a pressing call for systemic reforms: enhancing judicial‑preparation curricula in law schools, introducing mentorship schemes for prospective judges, and possibly revisiting the balance between stringent selection criteria and realistic staffing targets to ensure that the courts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa can function efficiently for the citizens they serve.