IBA-DRF breaks new grounds with an inaugural seminar on commercial mediation

January 19, 2024: The Dispute Resolution Forum (DRF) at IBA's Islamabad Office hosted the first public seminar on 'Commercial, Corporate and Regulatory Mediation' at National Institute of Banking & Finance (NIBAF), Islamabad. The event was attended by guests and participants from Security Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), Commercial Law Development Program (CLDP), Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX), Federal Judicial Academy (FJA), State Bank of Pakistan, Jazz, Zong, Pakistan Bar Council, Ministry of Law, leading legal colleges, and private legal practitioners.

The welcome address was presented by Director CEE, Kamran Bilgrami.

Zmarak Khan, Senior Counsel, CLDP, United States Department of Commerce shared insights on his vision for the collaboration of CLDP with Pakistan and with the IBA-DRF in which he mentioned the importance of collaboration and partnership and how these partnerships can strengthen the legal landscape of Pakistan.

Hon'ble Justice Jawad Hassan, Judge at the Lahore High Court, addressed the gathering in the Keynote speech and highlighted the significance of mediation, emphasizing its role in 'sharing the burden of judicial matters and resolving disputes amicably.'

Previously in November 2023, Justice Hassan authored a landmark judgment focusing on the 'doctrine of expeditious resolution' of corporate disputes through mediation. The judgment further elucidated the methodology for settling commercial disputes through Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), further emphasizing the growing recognition of such mechanisms in the legal landscape.

The event included panel discussions among esteemed panellists. The first panel discussion was on 'National Judicial imperative and The Role of Mediation'. The panellists included Justice Hassan; Zmarak Khan; Usama Malik, Director General, Legal Education, Pakistan Bar Council; Malik Javid Iqbal Wains, Additional Attorney General for Pakistan; and Saima Kamila Khan, Head of Legal, Jazz. The session was Moderated by Syed Bulent Sohail, Member, IBA DRF.

The second panel discussion was on 'Legal Framework on Mediation.' The panellists included Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb, Judge Islamabad High Court; Wajeeha khan, Deputy Commissioner, Land Revenue, FBR; Raja Naeem Akbar, Ministry of Law and Justice; Muhammad Amir Munir, Additional Sessions Judge, FJA; Bashir Khetran, Joint Secretary, Establishment Division and Dr. Mobeen Imran Shah, Senior Manager Legal, Zong. The session was Moderated by Muzzafar Ahmed Mirza, Chief Prosecutor / Executive Director, Legal Affairs Division, SECP.

Aattendees also included prominent individuals who shared their insights and encouraged the growth of legal education in Pakistan and ADR. The key take away is that the newly inaugurated mediation centre by IBA could expedite dispute resolution in a cost-effective manner, particularly in family matters, inheritance, and partnership disputes.

In the end, Hon'ble Justice Aurangzeb addressed the audience regarding the importance of ADR, mediation, and the role that the legal fraternity can play in ensuring amicable justice.

The event concluded by thank you notes from Raza Chinoy, Islamabad Alumni President and Riaz Chunara, Managing Director, NIBAF.