KARACHI: Sindh High Court Chief Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi on Saturday said that the high court was actively focusing on innovative methods to dispense speedy justice by implementing the alternative dispute resolution (ADR) framework across the province.

He said that he had accorded permission to set up two ADR centres by using the model of judge mediators to resolve the disputes.

Speaking at an event — Pakistan International Disputes Weekend 2024 — jointly organised by the SHC and the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators here at a local hotel, he said that an ADR centre was already set up on the SHC premises while another would be established at the City Courts.

He said that these were the pilot projects and once such projects were perfected the same model would be replicated in other cities of the province in a similar manner.

Says an alternative dispute resolution centre already functioning in SHC; govt reviewing draft arbitration law, says law secretary

He urged all stakeholders to must get involved and developed positive ADR culture in order to make such centres successful.

He said that the legal fraternity had reservations as it viewed mediation as a process that would diminish their legal practice and there was a perception that the bar and the bench perhaps were not on board on the subject matter.

He was of the view that the judiciary was well aware of the many challenges to ensure that all citizens had access to fair and timely resolution of their disputes.

“We take the pride in introducing and implementing mediation as a preferred form of dispute resolution in Sindh... Sindh’s judiciary and the Sindh Judicial Academy has played a role in training judges and lawyers,” he added.

Former chief justice of Pakistan Tassaduq Hussain Jillani, retired justice of Supreme Court Mushir Alam, several sitting judges of various high courts, Sindh Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah, Pakistan Engineering Council chairman Najeeb Haroon and other officials also spoke on the occasion.

The speakers pointed out that there was no proper legislation on the subject of ADR system in the country as a draft bill was pending since 2022.

They suggested that the ADR system should be introduced to reduce the burden on courts as the judiciary was facing a huge backlog of cases.

About the draft bill of the Arbitration Act, Federal Law Secretary Raja Naeem Akbar informed the gathering that the arbitration law reforms committee, headed by Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah of the Supreme Court, had finalised the draft bill and the same was under consideration in the ministry and it would send it to the federal cabinet for approval.

After the approval from cabinet, the bill will be presented before the National Assembly for enactment and in order to make the proposed law applicable throughout the country, resolutions will be sought from the provincial assemblies in term of Article 144 of the Constitution, he added.

Published in Dawn, May 12th, 2024