The Supreme Court of Pakistan participated in the Judicial Dispute Resolution Symposium held in Istanbul on May 4–5, 2026, contributing to a high-level international dialogue on strengthening alternative dispute resolution (ADR) mechanisms. The symposium was organized by the Commercial Law Development Program (CLDP) of the U.S. Department of Commerce in partnership with the Istanbul Arbitration Centre (ISTAC).
The two-day engagement convened senior judges, legal experts, and representatives of judicial academies from diverse jurisdictions to deliberate on the expanding role of the judiciary in promoting ADR. Key themes included the development of effective national ADR ecosystems, judicial support for arbitration and mediation, and the harmonization of domestic practices with international legal frameworks.
Representing the Supreme Court of Pakistan, Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb contributed to core sessions, including discussions on court-annexed ADR models and the recognition and enforcement of foreign arbitral awards. He shared Pakistan’s evolving approach towards institutionalizing ADR, highlighting recent reforms aimed at reducing case backlog, improving efficiency, and enhancing access to justice.
The symposium also featured a judicial training academies’ roundtable, providing a platform to explore strengthening ADR curricula, developing specialized training modules, and fostering cross-border collaboration among judicial institutions.
The participation reflects the Supreme Court of Pakistan’s proactive engagement with the global judicial community - not only to learn from comparative experiences but also to contribute and export best practices in dispute resolution, judicial reform, and institutional capacity-building.
