KOHAT: The dispute resolution council (DRC), Kohat district, has claimed achieving its aim of providing free and speedy justice to the people with the support of police.

A meeting of the new members who joined the DRC was held under the chairmanship of district police officer Mohammad Sohaib Ashraf at the conference room of the district police office, Kohat.

The meeting was attended by PHC former chief justice Ibne Ali, former director Provincial Health Services Academy Dr Abdur Rashid, retired Brig Haroon Rasheed, district Khateeb Mufti Shafiullah, former chairman Cantonment Board Kohat Eng. Faiq Ali Shah, District Bar Association president Javed Mohammad, former DBA president Amaad Azam, Zaibun Nisa advocate and educationists Nageen Hussain and Qasim Khan.

Mr Ashraf said that the DRC was a powerful jirga with the input of influential members of the community and had the complete backing of police. He said that the system had been so successful in Kohat district that people now preferred to take their cases to the council where they reached resolution within two or three hearings.

The cases resolved through dispute resolution council include that of domestic violence, money matters, visa fraud and issues of inheritance and property disputes.

The DPO said that at least 496 cases were received by DRC of which 450 cases had been settled and 42 still pending, while four cases were referred to the relevant forums for legal action.

The DRC was established in 2014 and owing to increasing public trust in the council a number of people approached it to resolve their petty disputes.

Published in Dawn, October 18th, 2016