ISLAMABAD: The government on Tuesday moved two important bills to the Senate including the Cost of Litigation Bill 2017 and Alternate Dispute Resolution Bill 2017.
Moved by Minister for Law and Justice Zahid Hamid to the House, the bills were referred to Committees of the House by Deputy Chairman Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri.
Briefing the House about the bill, the Law Minister said, these are landmark bills that will help resolve dispute out of courts as well as charge of cost of litigation on the pretext of delay in litigation as well as filing false and baseless suits.
Dilating on Cost of Litigation Bill, the minister said, after becoming an act, this bill will provide for three types of costs the cost to be paid to the winning party, cost of adjournment in case the hearing is unnecessary delayed and the cost of filing false and fictitious cases by any party.
Deputy Chairman Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri referred the bill to standing committee concerned.
About Alternate Dispute Resolution Bill, the minister said this bill provides for resolution of disputes out of court through local level mediators with the consent of the contesting parties. He said this bill proposes appointment of Neutrals in consultation with the High Court who will decide the disputes at village, town and city level.
PPPP Parliamentary Leader Senator Taj Haider and MQM Parliamentary Leader Tahir Hussain Mashhadi raised the objection on the bill on grounds that in certain cases the weaker parties would be influenced by the stronger and justice would not be done.
Taj Haider also quoted the example of little girl Tayyaba whose father, he claimed was pressurized to reach a rapprochement with the family of a lower court Judge.
Tahir Hussain Mashhadi was of the view that this law would not serve the objectives of the justice to the people and in many cases the justice would not be done.
Both the members demanded to refer the bill to Senate Committee of the Whole that was acknowledged and the Deputy Chairman referred the matter to said committee for deliberations. APP
