President Institute of Chartered Accountants Pakistan (ICAP), Mr. Rashid Rehman Mir welcomed President Karachi Centre for Dispute Resolution (KCDR) Justice (Retd) Saeeduzzaman Siddiqui  and Dr. Zafar Ahmed Khan Sherwani, Director, KCDR at the ICAP office, Karachi for the signing of MoU between the two institutions.

The MoU was signed between the two institution for the utilization of the services of KCDR in Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) to promote mediation as a form of ADR in order to reduce cost of dispute resolution for the members of the ICAP.

KCDR was established in February 2007 on the joint initiative of IFC (World Bank Group) and the Sindh High Court as "Not for Profit" organization, It is the only institution in Pakistan which offers Mediation as an institutionalized Alternate Dispute Resolution mechanism. KCDR is successfully providing mediation services in all sort of disputes included Commercial and Civil cases. Besides this it is providing training in mediation to the members of corporate and legal sectors.

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan is a premier body of professional accountants in Pakistan established in 1961 under the Chartered Accountants Ordinance, 1961 representing the Community of its members commonly known as Chartered Accountants.

 ICAP and KCDR shall establish effective consultation, cooperation and the exchange of information on ADR. ICAP shall declare KCDR as permanent venue for settlement of commercial, corporate and other disputes of its members particularly based in southern region through Arbitration and Mediation.  ICAP shall refer disputes of its members with their consent, including but not limited to disputes amongst practicing members, CA firms, etc. to KCDR for amicable settlement through mediation in accordance with the KCDR rules and regulations. ICAP shall encourage its members to use KCDR for settlement of disputes.

The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) and the Karachi Centre for Dispute Resolution (KCDR) have discussed the possibility for future cooperation between the two organizations. Accroding to a statement issued here Tuesday the Chairman of SECP, Muhammad Ali, visited the KCDR in this connection and was welcomed by the President KCDR,  Justice (Retd.) Saiduzzaman Siddiqui,  Anwar Mansoor, Vice President KCDR, Moin Fudda, member Board of Governor KCDR and Director KCDR, Dr. Zafar Ahmed Khan Sherwani.

Dr. Zafar Ahmed Khan Sherwani, Director, Karachi Centre for Dispute Resolution, meets Member of Council Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan (ICAP), Mr. Adnan Zaman and Secretary ICAP, Mr. Shoaib Ahmed. Mr. Ghufran Shaheer, Business Development Officer, KCDR and Miss Hina Imtiaz, Project Coordinator, New World Concept, were also present at the meeting.

ICAP approved the utilization of KCDR services in ADR and thus proposed initiation of a draft Memorandum of Understanding with the consent of both organizations along the lines of the Memorandum of Understanding signed between Karachi Chamber of Commerce & Industry and KCDR.

The MoU will lead to the resolution of both technical and financial disputes of the members of ICAP through mediation at KCDR under its own framework. In addition to this, the MoU will include holding of joint educational and informational seminars, workshops and publications as well as adding links of each other on their respective websites.

Karachi Centre for Dispute Resolution, in collaboration with RightsNow Pakistan, holds a two-day workshop on Mediation as an ADR Mechanism for the lawyers of Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, Jamshoro and other areas.

Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Karachi Centre for Dispute Resolution (KCDR) to facilitate the business and industrial community with a mediation opportunity to resolve their disputes with their counterparts anywhere in the world.

KCDR President Justice (retd) Saiduzzaman Siddiqui said the mediation could help to reduce the dependency of cases in courts and lead to resolution of disputes in cost effective and timely manner.

Every foreign investor inquires the prevailing law and order situation before investing in any country. He expressed over 1,500 cases have been referred in over three years, which illustrates KCDR’s significance as a dispute resolution centre.

KCDR Director Dr Zafar Ahmad Khan Sherwani informed 70 percent success ratio of mediation cases where in legal rights of parties remain intact and informed the mediation process was client-centred.

KCCI President Mian Abrar Ahmad urged the government to declare mediation mandatory through legislation before proceeding to courts.

He said the business community could directly approach KCDR or through KCCI’s helpdesk to resolve their business disputes, financial and loan disputes with banks and financial association and grievances with utilities companies etc.

He focused on increasing regional trade for the socio-economic uplift of Pakistan and urged KCDR to devise a mechanism to work closely with the important organisation of friendly and regional countries as the business community was facing tremendous problems and impediments to resolve their business disputes with their international counterparts.

Mr. Abrar Ahmad, President Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry met with Dr. Zafar Sherwani, Director KCDR at the launch of the UNDP-SMEDA ‘Pro-Gole’ Project on Saturday 31 December 2011. Hina Imtiaz Longi, Coordinator Projects, New World Concepts and Communication Consultant to KCDR was also present.

 The Karachi Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KCCI) is an autonomous institution of public interest. It enjoys singular distinction of being the premier Chamber of the country, representing the mainstream of economic activities by virtue of its location in industrial and commercial hub of the country. It was formed in 1959 and is also affiliated with the FPCCI.

Dr. Zafar Sherwani invited Mr. Abrar Ahmad to visit KCDR. He also explained that the KCCI President is a member of the Board of Governors at KCDR.

Mr. Abrar Ahmad appreciated KCDR’s efforts in helping the business community in resolving commercial disputes and showed keen interest in the workings of KCDR as an organization.

Meanwhile, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA) launched the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) funded, ‘Pro-Poor Governance for Legal Empowerment of the Poor (Pro-Gole) project for small and marginalized businesses’ in Sindh.

Mr. Zulfikar Thaver, Director SMEDA, while expanding on the need for access to legal services for marginalized and small business persons lauded KCDR for promoting alternate routes of disputes resolution (ADR) in Karachi.

Mr. Sultan Tiwana, General Manager, SMEDA and member of Board of Governors, KCDR also emphasized on the need for ADR services such as those offered by KCDR to resolve commercial disputes.

A State Life Insurance Corporation of Pakistan team lead by Mr. Yahya visited KCDR on Wednesday 16 November 2011 to understand the benefits of mediation. Dr. Zafar Sherwani, Director KCDR welcomed the State Life Insurance executives to KCDR.

State Life Insurance was formed in 1972 after nationalization of the life insurance business in Pakistan. It is the largest public sector corporation and life insurance provider in Pakistan.

Dr. Sherwani clarified that arbitration and litigation are lengthy and expensive procedures unlike mediation which resolves business disputes quickly with fees varying according to the amount of the claim.

Both disputing parties are included in the decision making process which is confidential and allows a working relationship to continue after the dispute has been resolved.

Dr. Sherwani further clarified that cases that yet to be filed in the courts can also be resolved through mediation at KCDR along with disputes currently pending in the courts. 

Mr. Yahya and the State Life Insurance Corporation of Pakistan team appreciated mediation as a concept and agreed to review their current caseload. 

KARACHI: Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad Khan has said that both the government and the legal fraternity have joint responsibility to provide assistance to people on legal issues.

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Mr. Intisar Usmani, Head Credit & Risk, First Habib Modaraba visited KCDR and met with Dr. Zafar Sherwani, Director KCDR on Friday, 4 November 2011.

First Habib Modaraba (FHM) commenced operations in March 1985 and is a pioneer in the Modaraba and Non-Banking Islamic Financial sector. FHM also has the distinction of being the leading modaraba in terms of size of assets, equity and profitability.

Dr. Zafar welcomed Mr. Usmani to KCDR and introduced the concept of mediation as an alternate tool for resolving disputes. Mediation offers savings in time and legal costs as well as being a flexible and confidential process. The use of a mediation clause for contract enforcement ensures that disputes are resolved quickly while maintaining a working relationship for both parties.

Mr. Usmani appreciated mediation as a concept and the various benefits offered to disputing parties. He also expressed keen interest in the use of a mediation clause in contracts and the mediation services offered by KCDR.

Brig (R) Rashid Siddiqi, Acting Chairman and Executive Director, Pakistan National Shipping Corporation (PNSC) visited KCDR on Wednesday, October 26. Dr Zafar Sherwani, Director KCDR and Yasmin Hyder, CEO New World Concepts and Communication Consultant KCDR welcomed Brig (R) Siddiqi.

Pakistan National Shipping Corporation is the national flag carrier of Pakistan, engaged in transportation of dry bulk and liquid cargoes globally. PNSC is an autonomous corporation, which functions under the overall control of the Ministry of Ports and Shipping, Government of Pakistan. A fleet of 11 vessels carries a total capacity of 646 thousand tones, transporting materials all over the world.

Dr. Zafar Sherwani introduced mediation at KCDR to Brig (R) Siddiqi and expanded on the various benefits. Resolving business disputes through mediation results in financial and time savings while maintaining confidentiality. KCDR also provides training for corporates to resolve internal disputes to their satisfaction.

Brig (R) Siddiqi appreciated KCDR and its services in resolving business disputes. He expressed interest in collaborating with KCDR for training PNSC personnel in mediation skills and referrals of PNSC cases pending in courts especially those concerning real estate and insurance matters.

Mr. Kamran Mirza, Chief Executive Pakistan Business Council and Samir Amir, Director Research met with Dr. Zafar Sherwani, Director KCDR, Saima Zuberi, Associate Operations Officer IFC, Reshma Aftab, Operations Analyst Officer IFC and Yasmin Hyder, CEO New World Concepts and Communication Consultant KCDR.

Pakistan Business Council (PBC) is a business policy advocacy forum comprising of private-sector businesses that have substantial investments in Pakistan's economy. It was formed in 2005 by 14 of Pakistan's largest enterprises -including multinationals - to allow businesses to meaningfully interact with government and other stakeholders.

Mr. Mirza was requested to facilitate awareness building measures about mediation at KCDR amongst the PBC members. The KCDR team sought support from PBC in driving its law reform agenda for inclusion of mediation as an effective resolution tool.

Mr. Mirza emphasized the importance of educating organizations and their managements on the various benefits of mediation and the need for positioning KCDR as an expeditious and effective tool for resolving business disputes.

He also suggested creating awareness about mediation and KCDR at the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan and communicating the key benefits of utilizing mediation as a tool for resolving disputes. 

Strengthening Public Grievance Redress Mechanisms Project located in Wafaqi Mohtasib Secretariat, Islamabad,(SPGRM), has signed an MOU with KCDR to Conduct two trainings titled “Mediation as an ADR Mechanism” of Two Days each of 40 Investigation officers, including Investigating Officers of the Wafaqi Mohtasib Secretariat, Provincial Mohtasib Secretariats and Specialty Ombudsmen in mediation, alternate dispute resolution (ADR) and conflict resolutions techniques to develop capacity of Investigating Officers of Mohtasib Secretariats in resolving disputes in order to acieve the fallowing outcome.

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Faced with business dispute, a leading company chose to enforce mediation rather than `opting for litigation'.

An official of the Karachi Centre for Dispute Resolution (KCDR) said on Friday that a large scale manufacturer and one of its clients successfully resolved their case within 21 days through mediation at the KCDR.

Read more on BUSINESS RECORDER

Mr. Mustafa Hasan Lakhani, General Manager Finance & Company Secretary Indus Motor Company Limited visited KCDR on October 1. He was welcomed by Dr. Zafar Sherwani, Director KCDR and Hina Imtiaz Longi, Communication Consultant KCDR and Project Coordinator New World Concepts.

Dr. Zafar Sherwani introduced mediation at KCDR to Mr. Lakhani and emphasized the need for corporate to include a mediation clause in their contracts. He explained that the resultant mediation agreement was binding and could not be challenged in court as both parties are signatories. He further highlighted the legal and technical aspects of mediation.

Hina Imtiaz Longi expanded on the various benefits of mediation such as the need for confidentiality and the quick resolution times achieved through mediation. KCDR also imparts training to corporate and other professionals, enabling them to resolve internal disputes more effectively.

Mr. Lakhani showed keen interest in mediation at KCDR and declared it an essential service for commercial dispute resolution. He also inquired about the inclusion of the mediation clause in contracts as well as the training services KCDR has to offer.

Ms. Nadine Ahmed, Associate at Mohsin Tayebaly & Co met with Hina Imtiaz Longi, Communication Consultant KCDR on 28 September. Mohsin Tayebaly & Co. was founded by (late) Mr. Mohsin Tayebaly over fifty years ago and is renowned law firm in Pakistan for banking, corporate, commercial, and financial matters. The law firm specializes in advising financial institutions, companies and state and regulatory bodies on complex and challenging legal issues by providing practical solutions.

Hina Imtiaz Longi introduced KCDR and elaborated on the various ways that lawyers could benefit from mediation. As well as increasing their skill set, lawyers can enhance their reputation as mediation can resolve disputes within hours. Lawyers are also welcome to represent their clients in the mediation process.

Ms. Ahmed showed keenness and interest in mediation. As a lawyer, she feels that some disputes should be resolved through mediation especially where the litigants are interested in a quick judgment. Ms. Ahmed agreed to inform the senior partners about mediation at KCDR and requested to be notified of future events at the mediation centre.

Mr. Abdul Kader Jaffer, President Pakistan Japan Business Forum (PJBF) and Chairman Ahmed Jaffer & Company (Private) Limited met with Dr. Zafar Sherwani, Director KCDR, Ms. Saima Zuberi, Associate Operations Officer, IFC and Yasmin Hyder, CEO New World Concepts and Communication Consultant KCDR on 26 September.

PJBF was established in 2001 to promote trade and investment activities between Japan and Pakistan. The forum also provides a channel of communication and networking within the business communities to promote cultures and traditions of both countries.

Yasmin Hyder introduced the KCDR and IFC team and defined the objectives of the meeting. She evinced keen interest on behalf of KCDR to share the benefits of mediaton with potential and current investors attending the proposed Multilateral Investment Conference being organized by the PJBF next month.

Dr. Zafar Sherwani detailed the concept of mediation and highlighted the various benefits it could bring to foreign investors. Foreign investors can save on time and legal expenses as mediation at KCDR has an average turnaround time of 3 days.

Ms. Saima Zuberi outlined the goals for the ADR Program in Pakistan as well as the global initiatives undertaken by the IFC MENA region. She also explained the need for mediation as contract enforcement in Pakistan may involve up to 47 procedures.

Mr. Jaffer expressed his keen support and desire to promote mediation and KCDR. He also added that he would try to provide presentation time to KCDR in the upcoming Multilateral Investment Conference being organized by PJBF with the help of Board of Investment and Trade Development Authority Pakistan in October.

Mr. Jamil H Hamdani, Managing Director, Credit Agricole Pakistan, Bangladesh , Sri Lanka & Nepal and President Pakistan France Business Alliance met with Yasmin Hyder and Hina Imtiaz Longi, Communication Consultants KCDR on Wednesday, 21 September. Ms Saba Hussain, Director Communications PFBA was also present.

Crédit Agricole is a leading retail bank in France with over 11,500 branches worldwide. It is one the largest banks in Europe with operations in over 70 countries. Mr Hamdani also heads the Pakistan France Business Alliance, a bilateral forum representing Yasmin Hyder informed Mr Hamdani of the mediation services offered by KCDR and its relevance for foreign investors and corporates operating in Pakistan.

Mr. Hamdani expressed that while he had heard of KCDR, he was unaware of the various benefits of mediation. He showed keen interest in helping promote KCDR and agreed that it was the need of the hour where backlog of cases in courts caused litigants to suffer innumerable delays.   

Mr. Nayyar A Ilyas, Chief Executive Saudi Pak Leasing, Mr. Rashid K Siddiqui, General Manager (South) Saudi Pak Leasing and Farooq Khan, Senior Manager HR/Admin Recovery & Legal Affairs, Saudi Pak Leasing met with Dr. Zafar Sherwani, Director KCDR and Yasmin Hyder, CEO New World Concepts and Communication Consultant KCDR, on 12th September 2011.

Saudi Pak Leasing Company Limited is the fifth largest leasing company in Pakistan in terms of the size of assets. It is listed on all three stock exchanges in Pakistan. The Saudi Arabian Government has invested in this venture as well. 

After an introduction by Yasmin Hyder, Dr. Zafar Sherwani detailed KCDR and its services. Resolving cases through mediation at KCDR results in essential savings of time and resources unlike litigation which can take years to resolve. KCDR master trainers also equip corporates with mediation skills necessary for resolving internal disputes more efficiently. 

The senior management of Saudi Pak Leasing showed great interest in mediation as a concept. They also expressed immediate interest in resolving pending disputes through mediation at KCDR. As a first step, Saudi Pak Leasing intends to send sample cases to KCDR.

The Saudi Pak Leasing team also sought details of membership of KCDR to enhance the use of mediation as an alternate tool of resolving disputes.    

Mr. Shoaib Mir, Executive Director of State Life Insurance Corporation of Pakistan met with Dr. Zafar Sherwani, Director KCDR, Saima Zuberi, Associate Operations Officer IFC and Yasmin Hyder, CEO New World Concepts and Communication Consultant KCDR, on 7th September 2011.

State Life Insurance was formed in 1972 after nationalization of the life insurance business in Pakistan. It is the largest public sector corporation and life insurance provider in Pakistan.

The KCDR team was introduced by Yasmin Hyder. Dr. Zafar Sherwani detailed KCDR’s services which include mediation as an alternate tool of resolving commercial disputes. He also added that KCDR imparted training in mediation skills for corporates to resolve internal disputes.

Saima Zuberi highlighted the need for mediation as an ADR tool due to the extensive backlog of cases in the courts which lead to wastage of time and resources. Mediation helps circumvent these problems through quick and inexpensive resolution of cases.

Mr. Mir exhibited great interest in availing KCDR’s services for conflict resolution and avoiding lengthy litigation. He also explored possibilities of State Life staff being trained in mediation skills by KCDR.

The Hon’ble Federal Tax Ombudsman, Dr. Muhammad Shoaib Suddle, accompanied by his advisors, Mr. Justice (Retd.) Muhammad Nadir Khan and Mr. Manzoor Hussain Kureshi, and a leading industrialist, Engineer. M. A Jabbar, former Vice President of Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI), visited the Karachi Centre for Dispute Resolution (KCDR) on August 27, 2011 to meet with the President and the Director and discuss his interest in the training in alternate dispute resolution of the Federal Ombudsman Officers as well as officers of other ombudsmen in Pakistan, being the Chairman of the Pakistan Ombudsman Forum. Mr. Anwar Kashif, Master Trainer of KCDR, also attended the meeting.
Dr. Suddle showed interest in nominating officers for the training in the upcoming months. He indicated that training in ADR would build the capacity of the officers with regard to dispute resolution skills, and the further interaction would be taken soon in this regard.

Mr. Kalim Siddiqui showed keen interest in the concept of mediation and agreed that lengthy litigation is a key deterrent to investments and business growth.  He agreed to look into possible case referrals to KCDR as well conducting in-house training in mediation skills.

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Mr. Saifuddin Zoomkawala, Chairman of EFU Group, met with Dr. Zafar Sherwani on 22nd August 2011 at EFU House.

EFU Group is Pakistan’s largest insurer with leading brand names such as EFU General Insurance, EFU Life Assurance and Allianz EFU Health Insurance. Established in 1932, the EFU Group has expanded to provide a full range of life, health and general insurance services.

Ms. Yasmin Hyder, Communication consultant to KCDR, defined the agenda of the meeting and introduced the KCDR and IFC team to Mr. Zoomkawala.

Dr. Zafar Sherwani, Director KCDR, introduced the concept of mediation and detailed benefits such as savings on time and legal expenses, maintenance of confidentiality, flexible process etc. Unlike litigation, mediation allows parties to continue a working relationship after the dispute has been resolved.

Ms. Saima Zuberi, Associate Operations Officer IFC, detailed the ADR program in the MENA region. KCDR has been set up under the IFC ADR program to facilitate commercial activities in Karachi.

Mr. Zoomkawala expressed his interest in mediation skills training for EFU and appreciated the concept of mediation on a regional and global level. He also added that the insurance sector in Pakistan was not involved in much litigation.

Mr. Kalim Siddiqui, President Petroleum Marketing Business, Byco Petroleum Pakistan, met with Dr. Zafar Shewani, Director KCDR, Saima Zuberi, Associate Operations Officer, IFC and Yasmin Hyder, CEO New World Concepts & Communications Consultant to KCDR, on 15 August 2011.

Byco Petroleum Pakistan is Pakistan’s emerging energy companies engaged in the businesses of oil refining, petroleum marketing, chemicals manufacturing and petroleum logistics.

Yasmin Hyder introduced the team members and detailed the objective of the meeting. Saima Zuberi, Associate Operations Officer, IFC explained the IFC ADR Program and its presence in the region. She also reiterated the support IFC rendered towards setting up of KCDR.

Dr. Zafar Sherwani explained that mediation at KCDR could translate into an effective financial and time savings for Byco unlike litigation. He also detailed that training services provided by KCDR could help corporates such as Byco resolve inter departmental disputes.

Mr. Kalim Siddiqui showed keen interest in the concept of mediation and agreed that lengthy litigation is a key deterrent to investments and business growth.  He agreed to look into possible case referrals to KCDR as well conducting in-house training in mediation skills.    

Ms. Saba Husain, Directrice de la Communication, Pakistan France Business Alliance (PFBA) visited KCDR on 11 August 2011. Dr. Zafar Sherwani, Director KCDR and Yasmin Hyder, CEO New World Concepts and Communication Consultant to KCDR welcomed her.

Pakistan France Business Alliance was formed in 1991 with the aim to encourage and promote business, mutual understanding and friendly relations between the business communities of Pakistan and France.

 Yasmin Hyder thanked Ms. Saba Husain and highlighted the benefits of mediation at KCDR and detailed the objectives of the meeting.

Dr. Zafar Sherwani explained that mediation at KCDR could translate into effective financial and time savings for investors. The control over the resultant agreement is completely in the hand of the parties as well. He also mentioned a backlog of cases in the courts means resolution of cases takes years while mediation can resolve a dispute within days. 

Ms. Saba Husain appreciated being invited to KCDR and shared the objectives of the PFBA. She showed keen interest in mediation as a concept and explored possibilities of arranging a presentation on KCDR for the members of PFBA.

Hina Imtiaz of New World Concepts and Tehniat Shaikh of KCDR were also present.

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The Indian Institute of Arbitration & Mediation featured KCDR in the ‘News & Events’ Section of its online news magazine. The ‘Indian Arbitrator’ reported that the recently concluded Consultative Session for Women on Gender Sensitization in the field of Alternate Dispute Resolution spread awareness of how mediation could help women litigants and entrepreneurs in resolving disputes.

The Indian Arbitrator featuring KCDR can be downloaded from: Indian Arbitrator

Mr. Aamir Niazi, COO of International Textile Limited, a member of All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA), visited KCDR to discuss the benefits mediation could bring to the textile export sector in Pakistan.

Dr. Zafar Ahmed Khan Sherwani, Director KCDR, welcomed him to the mediation centre and elaborated on the services offered by KCDR.  Established as a not-for-profit in 2006, KCDR offers mediation services to parties involved in commercial and civil litigation.

With 50 internationally accredited mediators, more than 2000 cases have been referred to KCDR. 70% of these have been amicably resolved.

Mr. Aamir Niazi was also briefed on the training services offered by KCDR master trainers. Mediation training helps resolve disputes with internal and external stakeholders.

Mr. Aamir Niazi expressed his gratitude and conveyed his interest in KCDR’s services. Ms. Tehniat Shaikh, Case Administrator KCDR and Ms. Yasmin Hyder, CEO New World Concepts were also present.   

A Focus Group Discussion on Benefits of Alternate Dispute Resolution through Mediation on the Financial Performance of the Corporate Sector took place in Karachi on June 8, at Sheraton Hotel. The discussion was organized by IFC Pakistan ADR Project and Karachi Centre for Dispute Resolution.

The Forum to Discuss Chief Justice, Sindh High Court’s Directives on Mediation was held on 27 May 2011 at Pearl Continental Hotel, Karachi.

Esteemed guests included Justice (Retd) Saiduzzaman Siddiqui, Honorable Justice Gulzar Ahmad, Honorable Justice Tufail Ibrahim, Ms. Navin Merchant, IFC ADR Program Manager, District and Senior Civil Judges from Karachi South, Karachi West, Karachi East, Karachi Central and Malir as well as lawyer representatives from Karachi Bar Council, Malir Bar Assocation and Sindh High Court Bar Association.

With an objective to interact with the advocates recently trained in the mediation workshops under the German funded training program executed by KCDR, Mr. Glenn Hendrix, Chairman of the International Law Section of the American Bar Association (ABA) made another visit to KCDR on May 5, 2011.  Through his presentation, he spoke about the introduction of mediation as an ADR mechanism in the US, and its development with time. He invited the advocates to share their experiences of mediation in Pakistan, and their input on facilitation of its growth in Pakistan. This meeting helped the advocates understand the introduction and evolution of mediation in the United States and the similarities that exist in Pakistan.

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Mr. Glenn Hendrix, present Chair of Force on International Trade in Legal Services in the American Bar Association (ABA) based in the United States, made a visit to KCDR on May 2, 2011 to gain insight about its operations just before his address to heads of various organizations like the Karachi Bar Association, Malir Bar Association, Sindh Bar Council, and top-notch law firms on employing mediation as an ADR Mechanism in Pakistan.
 
This Mediation Advocacy Training held in Karachi, in which Mr. Hendrix was the chief speaker, was organized by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) in efforts to promote KCDR and the role of mediation in Pakistan to the legal fraternity. Also present as Chief Guests of Honor were Justice (R) Saiduzzaman Siddiqui, Former Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Mushir Alam, Chief Justice of Sindh High Court, Mr. Mansoor Ahmed Khan and other influential personalities.

With an objective to improve and maintain a proper legal system in Maldives, Honorable Judges of Maldives made a visit to Pakistan in order to learn about the functionality of the Pakistani legal system. During their stay in Karachi, a visit was also made to KCDR. KCDR’s President, Justice (R) Saiduzamman Siddiqui, and Director, Dr. Zafar Ahmed Khan Sherwani, welcomed them with a presentation on KCDR and using mediation as an                                                 ADR Mechanism.

In order to alleviate the hardships faced by poor women litigants in interior Sindh, KCDR with the financial assistance of the Women Development Department, Government of Sindh is ready to launch a program by the end of this month that will provide free mediation services in cases involving poor women for all 5 divisional headquarters in the District of Sindh.
Additionally, lawyers belonging to the same areas will be provided training on mediation so the mediation process can be introduced in the interior. KCDR’s mediators and accredited Master Trainers will be sent to interior Sindh to execute these mediation sessions and training programs so that backlog of cases with the regular courts involving poor women can be reduced.

KCDR in collaboration with the Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan, under the Access to Justice Development Fund, launched the Continuing Legal Education Program on March 1, 2011, under which courses on mediation will be delivered to 100 practicing lawyers, including 30 female lawyers, associated with the Malir Bar Association and the Karachi Bar Association in Karachi. In all, 5 workshops will be held during June and July, while the initial stages of the program have already begun.

Winding up the German Training Project, which had begun in October 2010, KCDR held a closing ceremony on the last training day of the program on February 22, 2011 in which Dr. Brecht, General Consul of the Federal Republic of Germany, and Justice Mushir Alam, Chief Justice, Sindh High Court were the Chief Guests of Honor.
 Justice (Rtd) Saiduzzaman Siddiqui, and Dr. Zafar Ahmed Khan Sherwani welcomed the guests. Dr. Brecht and Justice Mushir Alam awarded certificates to the participants of the last batch on successful completion of the mediation workshop.  Both of the Chief Guests were given the emblem of KCDR to recognize their cooperation and support to KCDR.
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KCDR with the approval of the High Court of Sindh has also successfully initiated a project that offers pro bono mediation in 2000 cases involving poor persons pending in courts aimed at backlog reduction. Donations from corporate sector along with foreign financial assistance are both being employed to achieve the objective of this result oriented program. Currently, free mediation in 22 cases is underway, and more are soon to be taken up. The High Court has directed to the family court of District South to refer all the family cases and guardian wards cases fixed for pre-trial and post-trial for mediation at the camp office of KCDR at City Court, Small Causes Courts Building, Karachi.

On August 19th, 2010 a meeting was held at the PHMA House where KCDR was represented Director KCDR and Ms. Saima Zuberi, Project Officer represented IFC.

A seminar was organized by the State Bank of Pakistan where Karachi Centre for Dispute Resolution (KCDR) was invited to address some 50 participants from various leading banks of Pakistan on the need of mediation in the banking sector of Pakistan

KCDR is proud to announce that Dr. Zafar Ahmed Khan Sherwani joined KCDR as the new Director with effect from 5th May 2010, in place of Mr. Justice (R) Kamal Mansur Alam who has resumed his new assignment. Dr. Zafar Ahmed Khan Sherwani had also worked earlier as such during the period with effect from 1st of January 2008 till 25th August 2008 voluntarily. Dr. Sherwani is a former judge of the High Court of Sindh, with a Ph.D. in Law and a vast experience to his name, Dr. Sherwani has proven to be an asset for KCDR.