Pakistan: Justice (R) Khilji advises business community to settle disputes via mediation

KARACHI, May 07 (APP): Managing Director Musaliha International Center for Arbitration and Dispute Resolution (MICADR) Justice (Retd.) Arif Hussain Khilji, Tuesday, advised the business community to settle their business related and other disputes through arbitration and mediation.

Justice (R) Khilji, while speaking at a meeting during his visit to the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), urged the business community to look into the possibility of resolving their disputes without a trial through MICADR which offers cost-effective and expedient mediation.

Justice Khilji noted that many countries around the world have adopted out of court settlement through arbitration with Singapore taking the lead while Turkiye has resolved 3 million cases through mediation and Chinese court referred 5.1 million cases to court-recognized mediation centers.

“The concept of mediation is relatively new in Pakistan but it has started picking up some pace since 2022 when the High Court of Sindh recognized MICADR as approved Alternate Dispute Resolution Center,” he added.

Co-Founder and Senior Manager MICADR Sarha Rasheed, while delivering a presentation to raise awareness about the services offered by MICADR, stated that a total of 2.1 million cases were pending in Pakistani courts to be heard by 3100 judges.

She informed that MICADR, with its offices situated in Karachi and Islamabad, deals with several types of cases including landlord and tenant disputes, commercial disputes, insurance disputes, unfair contract terms, labor disputes, mortgage default and foreclosure, family disputes and disputes on possession of immovable property.

Highlighting MICADR’s contributions to ADR ecosystem, she informed that more than 130 judges, 100 plus accredited mediators and more than 800 mediation advocates have been trained so far, besides enabling legislation in Gilgit-Baltistan and raising awareness among state regulators.

Senior Vice President KCCI Altaf A. Ghaffar, speaking on the occasion, appreciated services offered by MICADR and underscored the importance of judicial reforms for improving legal and judicial system in the country and providing relief to the masses.

He was of the view that Alternative Dispute Resolution methods were effective ways to ease pressure on the existing courts, improve access to justice and enhance the overall socioeconomic well-being of people.

“It is imperative to utilize ADR platforms efficiently and establish connections with skilled mediators and arbitrators
specializing in relevant fields which would improve ease of doing business, particularly for small businesses seeking out-of-court settlements,” he added.

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