LHC Chief Justice For Discouraging 'Stay Culture'

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th Jan, 2017 ) : Chief Justice of Lahore High Court (LHC) Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah said on Saturday that 'Stay Culture' should be discouraged as it is hitting economy hard, and collaboration between Judiciary and private sector could be a game changer.

Speaking at the Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry (LCCI), he added that 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.

On this occasion, LCCI President Abdul Basit and Vice President Muhammad Nasir Hameed Khan also spoke on the occasion and highlighted the LCCI efforts for promotion of trade and economic activities.

The LHC Chief Justice said they had to find out new ways for dispute resolution to save precious time and money, citing that concept of mediation was being promoted rapidly and the LCCI had taken an important initiative through establishing Mediation Center.

He invited the Lahore Chamber to form a focal committee that should be integrated with the system of the Lahore High Court through information technology. He informed the LCCI members that for the first time in history, an Alternate Dispute Resolution Center was being established in the District Court in collaboration with the World Bank that would be inaugurated soon.

He said that Punjab Judicial academy was ready to extend cooperation to the Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry for conducting courses regarding mediation. Courts had already the burden of criminal cases, threfore, contractual issues should be resolved through mediation, he maintained.

"A 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," Chief Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah added.

LCCI President Abdul Basit said no country could achieve the goal of economic development without rule of law, asserting that the LCCI established Mediation Center for out-of-court settlements of business disputes.

He thanked the LHC Chief Justice for patronizing the LCCI Mediation Center, saying that support of judiciary would make this Center more effective, as legal powers would help the LCCI Mediation Center to resolve business disputes at early stages that would certainly reduce the burden on courts.

LCCI Vice President Muhammad Nasir Hameed Khan said the LCCI was not only putting in its best efforts for trust building between the government and private sector but also supplementing the government's efforts aimed at economic revival of the country.

He said that collaboration between judiciary and private sector would go a long way. Former LCCI President Engineer Sohail Lashari said the Lahore Chamber established the Mediation Center in 2012 in collaboration with IFC (International Finance Corporation) with prime objective to help local and foreign companies to resolve their business/commercial disputes out of court.

In this way, companies were able to maintain a healthy relationship amongst themselves as well. He said Pakistan's legal system besides being over loaded, tends to take lot of time, as such mediation could 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 formaly inaugurated the LCCI Mediation Center. Former LCCI presidents Mian Anjum Nisar, Mian Misbah-ur-Rehman, Muhammad Ai Mian, Mian Muzaqffar Ali, Zafar Iqbal Chaudhry, former SVPs Irfan Iqbal Sheikh, Mian Nauman Kabir, EC Members Mian Abdul Razzaq, Mian Muhammad Nawaz, Zeeshan Khalil, Rehman Aziz Chan, Shahid Nazir, Mudassar Masood Chaudhry, Khamis Saeeed Butt, Sheikh Muhammad Ibram, representatives of trade & industrial associations, International Finance Corporation and Federal and provincial government were also present.