ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar on Sunday called for the adoption of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) methods to speed up settlement of disputes, with 2.4 million cases pending in courts across the country.
The statement came at a ceremony in Islamabad on the conclusion of a six-day internationally accredited Civil and Commercial Mediation Training Programme by the International Mediation & Arbitration Center (IMAC), established by the Pakistani law ministry.
The program, led by internationally renowned experts Mr. Rahim Shamji, Ms. Sarah Tarar, and Dr. Khalid Hamid Chowdhury, trained judges of the high courts, lawyers, government officers, academicians, and business professionals from across Pakistan.
Speaking at the ceremony, Tarar noted that there is a backlog of 2.4 million cases in Pakistan’s courts, including over 300,000 in the high courts and 1.8 million in district courts, where civil disputes often take up to 15 years to conclude.
“In contrast, ADR provides resolution in an average of just 75 days,” he was quoted as saying by Pakistan’s Press Information Department.
