ISLAMABAD, Aug 21 (APP):Federal Minister for Law & Justice Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar said on Friday that the government was taking legal measures to encourage the resolution of disputes before they reached courts, while steps were also being taken to make pre-litigation mediation mechanisms more effective in certain matters. He was addressing participants during his visit to a five-day training programme on Civil, Commercial and Shariah-Integrated Mediation for Ulema here. …
Govt strengthening mediation mechanisms before litigation: Azam Tarar
ISLAMABAD, Aug 21 (APP):Federal Minister for Law & Justice Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar said on Friday that the government was taking legal measures to encourage the resolution of disputes before they reached courts, while steps were also being taken to make pre-litigation mediation mechanisms more effective in certain matters.
He was addressing participants during his visit to a five-day training programme on Civil, Commercial and Shariah-Integrated Mediation for Ulema here.
The programme is being organized in collaboration with the International Mediation & Arbitration Centre (IMAC) and the OIC Arbitration Centre. Participants are being trained in various aspects of Civil, Commercial and Shariah-Integrated Mediation, international mediation practices and Pakistan’s legal framework.
The minister said that Panchayat and reconciliation were part of the country’s religious and social heritage, adding that Ulema could play a more effective role in promoting mediation and reconciliation mechanisms.
He said that mediation mechanisms were rapidly gaining importance around the world and that reconciliation was being given greater significance in legal frameworks globally. The concept of reconciliation had deep roots in Islam, he added, urging Ulema to promote it as a means of social welfare and service.
Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar said that, in tax-related disputes, relevant government institutions were increasingly resolving matters through mutual reconciliation before approaching courts, while a number of tax disputes had already started being resolved outside the courts.
He said an effective mediation system could help resolve matters within weeks that might otherwise take years, besides reducing the burden of cases on the judicial system.
The minister said mediation could play an important role in providing speedy, effective and cost-efficient resolution of disputes. He added that further legal measures were also being pursued to make mediation before litigation more effective.
He highlighted the importance of international cooperation in developing an effective mediation system in Pakistan. He said the training programme, organized in collaboration with the OIC Arbitration Centre, provided an important opportunity to benefit from international best practices and develop internationally relevant expertise in the field of mediation.
Tarar said the Government of Pakistan would continue to support the development of effective
alternative dispute resolution mechanisms.
