The consultative workshop on “Rethinking & Reshaping Arbitration Law in Pakistan,” was organized by the Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan, which was held on 2nd May 2024 in the Federal Judicial Academy, Islamabad. 2. Alternative dispute resolution (ADR) methods are in practice in the worldwide to settle the quick and swift resolution of commercial and business disputes. Pakistan's judicial system provided a specialized tribunals as ADR forums to comply with this legal framework. 3. Upon recognizing the deficiencies in the current domestic legal framework on arbitration, such as the absence of arbitration-friendly rules and time-consuming procedures, the Chief Justice of Pakistan, in response to the Law & Justice Commission's proposal, formed the Arbitration Law Review Committee (ALRC) in April 2023. The primary responsibility of the Committee was to scrutinize the existing arbitration legislation and offer suitable recommendations, including comprehensive legislation that aligns with international and regional best practices on arbitration. The Committee was chaired by Hon'ble Mr. Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, judge Supreme Court of Pakistan, and had representatives from the Ministry of Law and Justice, the Board of Investment, and the Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan (LJCP), as well as respected academic and practitioner experts in arbitration. 4. The Committee reviewed the Arbitration Act of 1940 and proposed legislation aligned with the UNCITRAL Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration. This legislation addresses the shortcomings in Pakistan's arbitration framework. 5. A consultative workshop was organized to discuss the Draft (Legislation) and after incorporating the useful recommendations received from the participants, finalized the draft law. This consultative workshop was a significant moment in Pakistan's journey to modernize its arbitration framework. 6. The relevant stakeholders and participants deliberated on the proposed arbitration law and suggest very useful recommendations to enhance the effectiveness and applicability of the proposed law. 7. Ms. Riffat Inam Butt, Secretary Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan welcomed all the participants and briefed the audience about holding of the consultative workshop and also highlighted the importance of the proposed law in current scenario. ---- 8. Mr. Hayat Ali Shah, Director General, Federal Judicial Academy thanked all the participants---- 9. Mr. Feisal Naqvi, Advocate Supreme Court of Pakistan/member Arbitration Law Review Committee (ALRC) gave the overview of the draft legislation “The Arbitration Bill, 2024” and highlighted the basic features of the prosed law----- 10. Barrister Makhdoom Ali Khan, Advocate Supreme Court of Pakistan/member ALRC was also remarked that it was the need of the hour that ------ 11. Mr. Mansoor Awan, Attorney General for Pakistan also appreciated the effort of the Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan under the Chairmanship of the Hon’ble Mr. Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah proposed a very comprehensive legislation on Arbitration----- 12. Hon’ble Mr. Justice Jawad Hassan, Judge Lahore High Court while speaking on the importance of the building of the confidence of foreign investors and the need o the model Arbitration law, ----- 13. Hon’ble Mr. Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb, Judge Islamabad High Court while discussing the importance of the foreign investment and commercial disputes, the Arbitration law in line of the UNCITRAL is the need of the hour-----and appreciated the efforts of the ALRC Committee----- 14. Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar, Federal Law Minister also commented on the proposed law and commended the efforts of the Arbitration Law Review Committee. --- 15. Hon’ble Mr. Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Judge Supreme Court of Pakistan/Chairman ALRC highlighted the role of arbitration in commercial disputes ------ 16. The workshop was participated by the learned judges, legal scholars, representatives from reputable national and international organizations dedicated to Arbitration, and members of the legal fraternity and academia. 17. The preceding activities were followed by a concluding remarks of the Hon’ble Mr. Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Judge Supreme Court of Pakistan and ceremony of handing over “The Arbitration Bill, 2024” to the Ministry of Law and Justice. 18. This press release can be downloaded from the website of LJCP @ www.ljcp.gov.pk.
PREVIOUS NEXT
