Senate panel makes more alterations to draft bill

The legislation had been passed through the National Assembly

ISLAMABAD: A Senate panel has sent the Alternative Dispute Resolution Bill 2017 back to the law ministry after incorporating amendments.

The Senate Standing Committee on Law and Justice, which met with Senator Javed Abbasi in the chair at Pakistan Institute of Parliamentary Services (Pips) on Thursday, noted that changes proposed by Senator Farooq Naik, a prominent lawyer, would make the bill more effective. Therefore, the senators decided to let the law ministry take another look at the bill and the panel will take it up at its next meeting.

The committee had already sought input from law ministry, Islamabad bar council, bar association and the high court bar. The legislation, providing alternative means to settle disputes instead of wasting resources and time on prolonged litigations, had passed through the National Assembly. However, jirgas and panchayat were excluded from the bill.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 14^th, 2017.