ISLAMABAD: Mushaal Hussein Mullick, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister for Human Rights and Women Empowerment, stated that Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) is gaining popularity in Pakistan due to its ability to reduce the strain on the overburdened court system. She was speaking at a workshop conducted by the Legal Aid and Justice Authority (LAJA), Ministry of Human Rights. The Workshop aims to build capacity and train ADR practitioners in procedures such as mediation, arbitration, and negotiation.
The workshop was addressed by a renowned panel that included Senior Judge Federal Sharia Court Justice Syed Muhammad Anwar, DG National Police Bureau Ehsan Sadiq, DG LAJA Dr. Rahim Awan, DG HR Ministry of Human Rights Abdul Sattar, and Executive Director PCHR Choudhury Shafique. Many prospective ADR practitioners attended the session.
In her address to the Workshop, the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister stated that the government, legal community, and numerous institutions have taken steps to promote and incorporate ADR within the legal system. She added that ADR offered numerous benefits, including efficiency, cost effectiveness, confidentiality, and flexibility.
Mushaal emphasized the transformative power of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) in relieving pressure on the judicial system. She underlined that the primary goal of ADR was to supplement traditional courts while reducing the backlog of cases. She noted that there were 750 cases per judge in Pakistan, making the traditional court trial process resource costly and time consuming.
According to the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister, one of LAJA’s primary duties is to give legal aid/assistance to disadvantaged and vulnerable groups, particularly women and children, as well as to raise public awareness of legal aid and Pakistani laws. She went on to say that ADR, if institutionalized, would be a vital instrument in empowering women, girls, and vulnerable populations because to its fast dispensation.
Mushaal recognized the efforts of the Legal Aid and Justice Authority, established under the LAJA Act 2020, to institutionalize the concept of ADR and establish reconciliatory committees throughout Pakistan. She went on to say that LAJA’s efforts will help to prepare a pool of Master Trainers for ADR in the country through capacity building and training sessions on modern ADR methodologies, as well as enable ADR practitioners to participate in dispute resolution procedures.
Mushaal stated that training ADR practitioners should be our top goal. She went on to say that the workshop was an important opportunity to discuss the difficulties, opportunities, and new advancements in alternative dispute resolution in Pakistan.
