ISLAMABAD: Wafaqi Mohtasib Ejaz Ahmad Qureshi has stressed on resolution of issue through Informal Resolution of Disputes (IRD), an informal way to sort out disputes.

He was addressing a webinar organized by Wafaqi Mohtasib Secretariat on IRD: Pakistan’s experience from the platform of Asian Ombudsman Association (AOA).

Inaugurating the Webinar, Wafaqi Mohtasib Ejaz Ahmad Qureshi highlighted the main features of the IRD system in administering free and expeditious justice to the general public through mediation and conciliation without the necessity of docketing any complaint or issuing any official notice.

He stated that the Wafaqi Mohtasib’s institution being a Poorman’s court, was addressing complaints of maladministration by Federal Agencies in large numbers. Qureshi added that the IRD initiative adds value to the services of this institution in addressing issues of maladministration and promoting thereby good governance, the rule of law and the fundamental freedoms.

Addressing the participants, he added the IRD mechanism involved resolution of disputes through mediation and persuasion rather than a decision arrived at through following a strict process or procedure. He emphasized that the IRD system responded to the dire needs of the general public for resolution of dispute at grassroots level without hiring the services of an advocate or waiting for lengthy legal processes.

Qureshi stated that from April 2022 till today, 1,911 complaints were received under IRD out of which 1,837 had been resolved while 74 were under process.

The Webinar was attended by over 70 participants representing member institutions of the Asian Ombudsman Association including Azerbaijan, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan and other countries. It was also attended by the representatives of Ombudsmen institutions functioning in the country including Provincial Ombudsman Sindh, Banking Mohtasib, Federal Tax Ombudsman and the Regional Offices of the Wafaqi Mohtasib Secretariat.

The Webinar was addressed by Shahzar Ilahi, Associate Director of ADR Centre for Arbitration and Dispute Resolution in Pakistan. Justice M Raza Khan, formerly Chief Justice KPK High Court and the Federal Secretary, Law and Justice Division spoke about the practices and procedures of IRD in the context of Wafaqi Mohtasib’s institution.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023