Alternative Dispute Resolution centres opened in Punjab

Both parties could resolve their issues through negotiations in ADRs

Rawalpindi

Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) centres have been inaugurated in all lower courts throughout Punjab including Rawalpindi District Courts here on Thursday where both parties could resolve their issues through negotiations.

District and Sessions Judge, Rawalpindi Sohail Nasir inaugurated Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) centre at the judicial complex where all cases like family cases, attempt to murder cases, scuffle cases, land cases and murder cases will be resolved through negotiations.

During media talk, District and Sessions Judge, Rawalpindi Sohail Nasir said that unfortunately there are 1.3 million cases of different nature pending with the lower courts of Punjab. The numbers of judges are less. “We needed 320 years to resolve these pending cases with this number of judges,” he expressed concern.

He said that Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) would prove a game changer for judiciary system. It is our basic responsibility to check strikes. “We can resolve our issues through dialogue after court hours,” he said and added that concerned district and tehsil bars should approach the Punjab Bar Council in case of any issue.

He said that it was possible to resolve criminal cases through ADR centres. It has big canvass as both parties could not go in appeal if ADR centre decides a case, he said. A civil judge who is in-charge of ADR will be a facilitator for both parties, he added.

Civil judge, Ahmed Shahzad Gondal, will be in-vharge of first ADR centre established in Rawalpindi courts.

ADR’s refer to any means of settling disputes outside of the courtroom. ADR typically includes early neutral evaluation, negotiation, conciliation, mediation, and arbitration.

The ADR is being opened in collaboration with the World Bank to handle disputes of low intensity outside the court so that the burden on the High Court can be reduced. The main aim of opening these centres is to provide speedy justice and providing easy access to justice. The World Bank believes this initiative will also help encourage foreign funding into the country and also making it more economically stable.

A team of legal experts are present in the country representing the World Bank, who have met Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court Mansoor Ali Shah, high court Judges, heads of high court bar and Supreme Court Bar Association, to hear the main concerns of the lawyers in providing justice so that recommendation may be formed to be presented to the World Bank officials abroad for better justice opportunities.

The team is being headed by Barrister Martin Palmer from London who is being assisted by Zafar Kalanuri who is a renowned Lawyer in the Lahore High Court Bar.