Pre-litigation mediation mechanisms to be made more effective: Minister

ISLAMABAD: The government is taking legal measures to promote dispute resolution before cases reach the courts and make pre-litigation mediation mechanisms more effective in certain matters.

Federal Minister for Law and Justice Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar stated this while addressing participants during his visit to a five-day training programme on Civil, Commercial and Shariah-Integrated Mediation for Ulema here on Friday.

The federal minister said that Panchayat and reconciliation were part of the country’s religious and social heritage, adding that Ulema could play a more effective role in promoting mediation and reconciliation mechanisms.

He said mediation mechanisms were rapidly gaining importance worldwide and that reconciliation was being given greater significance in legal frameworks globally. The concept of reconciliation had deep roots in Islam, he added, urging Ulema to promote it as a means of social welfare and service.

Azam Nazeer Tarar said that, in tax-related disputes, relevant government institutions were increasingly resolving matters through mutual reconciliation before approaching courts, and several tax disputes are also being resolved outside the courts.

He said an effective mediation system could help resolve matters within weeks that might otherwise take years. This would reduce the burden of cases on the judicial system.

He said mediation could play an important role in providing speedy, effective and cost-efficient resolution of disputes. Tarar added that further legal measures were also being pursued to make mediation before litigation more effective.

He highlighted the importance of international cooperation in developing an effective mediation system in Pakistan. He said the training programme, organized in collaboration with the OIC Arbitration Centre, provided an important opportunity to benefit from international best practices and develop internationally relevant expertise in the field of mediation.

He said the government would continue to support the development of effective alternative dispute resolution mechanisms.

The five-day training programme is being organized in collaboration with the International Mediation & Arbitration Centre (IMAC) and the OIC Arbitration Centre. Participants are being trained in various aspects of civil, commercial, and Shariah-Integrated Mediation, international mediation practices, and Pakistan’s legal framework.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026