ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of the Federal Shariat Court (FSC) Dr Syed Muhammad Anwar has said that ‘Amicable Dispute Resolution’ (ADR) is an Islamic concept which urges for amicable settlement of disputes and creates harmony in the society.

Addressing the closing ceremony of a three-day ADR training sessions as a chief guest, he said Islam urges to settle dispute before taking that to the court of law. The three-day training program on ADR for the members of the mediation committees on gender sensitive was organized by the Legal Aid and Justice Authority under the supervision of Federal Shariat Court on November 23 to November 25 at a local hotel here in Islamabad, says a statement issued by the FSC here on Wednesday.

The Chief Justice said the expeditious and inexpensive justice is the right of every citizen guaranteed by the constitution of Pakistan. He said the conflict and the litigation are somewhat destructive for the relations, adding that compromise builds relations.

He resolved that the initiative of Legal Aid and Justice Authority (LAJA) in collaboration with its partners will not be one time, instead, with the support and supervision of the Federal Shariat Court, it will become a permanent and regular feature of LAJA’s activities.

He said Federal Shariat Court having its jurisdiction will support these initiatives across the country. He also appreciated the Inspector General Islamabad Police for making Dispute Resolution Teams, for the purpose of resolving issues in Police Stations before taking that to the courts which will prove helpful in minimizing the burden on the courts and to cope with the backlog of cases.

The Chief Justice said it will also help the police to do its work of policing in better way. Addressing the participants, Director General Legal Aid and Justice Authority Dr Raheem Awan said it is the solemn duty of leaders to facilitate and integrate a framework of social justice.

He said the expeditious and inexpensive justice is the right of every citizen guaranteed by the constitution of Pakistan. Sometimes provision of justice is synonymies with the provision of justice through courts, he added. However, he said, the provision of justice is not only the responsibility of the court but also a constitutional obligation of the state. So, all of the justice stakeholders are required to play their role to discharge this constitutional obligation, Dr Raheem Awan said.

He said the increasing backlog of cases necessitates for trying other methods of the dispensation of justice. Therefore, he said LAJA in line with the state’s tester mandate is enthusiastically working for encouraging dispute resolution through ADR and extensively working for capacity building of lawyers to make them capable of undertaking tasks of court and expedition and pre-institutional reconciliation.

Executive Director Parliamentarians Commission for Human Rights (PCHR), Muhammad Shafique Chaudhary admired the efforts of the LAJA and its collaborative partners UN Women and INL. He urged that this should not be a one-time exercise instead, it is time to make it a permanent feature so that the ADR system could respond to the needs of society and contribute to overall areas of justice for all citizens.

It is the solemn duty of leaders to facilitate and integrate a framework of social justice. Mr Younas Khalid, advisor UN Women, appreciated the efforts of the LAJA and its collaborative partners and assured the support of UN Women for future collaboration. The basic purpose of the training session was to improve the knowledge of participants about reconciliation and its effective utilization for dispute resolution.

The focus was to enhance their practical skills through mock dispute exercises to develop their capacities for efficient and effective dispute resolution that will enhance the understanding of the trainees about the concept and purpose of establishing Police Reconciliatory Committees. The pre-trial mediation and conciliation will surely help in the expedited dispensation of Justice. The advocates from the federal capital participated and thanked the organizers for this fruitful training.