LAHORE: Chief Justice Lahore High Court (LHC) Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah has said that collaboration between Judiciary and private sector could be a game changer. Stay culture should be discouraged as it is hitting the economy hard. Nobody else could understand the value of time and money better than the business community therefore business disputes should be resolved instead of wasting time.
He was speaking here at the Lahore Chamber of Commerce Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry on Saturday. The LCCI President Abdul Basit and Vice President Muhammad Nasir Hameed Khan also spoke on the occasion and threw light on the LCCI efforts for the promotion of trade and economic activities.
Chief Justice Lahore High Court said that we have to find out new ways for dispute resolution to save precious time and money. He said that concept of mediation is being promoted rapidly and the Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry has taken an important initiative through establishing Mediation Center. He invited the Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry to form a focal committee that should be integrated with the system of Lahore High Court through information technology.
He informed the LCCI members that for the first time in history, an Alternate Dispute Resolution Center is being established in the District Court in collaboration with the World Bank that would be inaugurated soon. He said that Punjab Judicial Academy is ready to extend cooperation to the Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry for conducting courses regarding mediation.
He said that courts have already the burden of criminal cases. threfore, contractual issues should be resolved through mediation.
“Concept of neutral evaluation and pre-litigation assessment is gaining grounds throughout the world. It would be better if businessmen first come to the LCCI Mediation Center for pre-litigation assessment”, Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah added.
The LCCI President Abdul Basit said that no country could achieve the goal of economic development without rule of law. He said that the Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry established the Mediation Center for out-of-court settlements of the business disputes. He thanked Chief Justice Lahore High Court for patronizing the LCCI Mediation Center saying that support of Judiciary would make this Center more effective. He said that legal powers would help LCCI Mediation Center to resolve the business disputes at early stages that would certainly reduce the burden of courts.
The LCCI Vice President Muhammad Nasir Hameed Khan said that the Lahore Chamber of commerce & Industry is not only putting in its best efforts for trust building between the government and the private sector but is also supplementing the government’s efforts aimed at economic revival of the country. He said that collaboration between Judiciary and the private sector would go a long way.
Engineer Sohail Lashari said that the Lahore chamber of Commerce & Industry established the Mediation Center in 2012 in collaboration with IFC. He said that the objective of this mediation centre was to help local and foreign companies to resolve their business/commercial disputes out of court. In this way, companies are able to maintain a healthy relationship amongst themselves as well. He said that Pakistan’s legal system besides being over loaded, tends to take lot of time, as such mediation can be the quickest and most effective mode of alternate dispute resolution and at the same time helping lessen the burden on the Courts.
Later, Chief Justice Lahore High Court Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah inaugurated the LCCI Mediation Center.
Former LCCI Presidents Mian Anjum Nisar, Mian Misbah-ur-Rehman, Muhammad Ai Mian, Mian Muzaqffar Ali, Sohail Lashari, Zafar Iqbal Chaudhry, former Senior Vice Presidents Irfan Iqbal Sheikh Mian Nauman Kabir, Executive Committee Members Mian Abdul Razzaq, Mian Muhammad Nawaz, Zeeshan Khalil, Rehman Aziz Chan, Shahid Nazir, Mudassar Masood Chaudhry, Khamis Saeeed Butt, Sheikh Muhammad Ibram, representatives trade & industrial associations, International Finance Corporation and Federal & Provincial governments were also present on the occasion.
