Lahore, Legal professionals and academics convened in Lahore to call for urgent reforms in Pakistan’s judicial system to ensure the provision of efficient and affordable justice. The round table conference, focused on the role of mediation in enhancing access to justice, was jointly organized by Punjab University Law College and the Institute for Legal Research and Advocacy.

According to University of The Punjab, the event brought together notable figures such as Prof Dr. Shazia Qureshi of PU Law College, Vice Chairman Punjab Bar Council Kamran Bashir Mughal, and legal expert Zafar Iqbal Kalanauri. They discussed the critical need for a unified approach to interpreting laws across provincial courts and advocated for alternative dispute resolution systems like mediation to alleviate the backlog of cases burdening the judiciary.

Kalanauri emphasized that without judicial reform, the current case load could take centuries to resolve. Mughal highlighted the challenges of law enforcement and the necessity for amendments to existing legislation, while Bukhari pointed to the potential for increasing legal employment by enforcing company laws. The conference underscored the high demand for legal reform, stressing the importance of arbitration and collaboration between legal and academic communities to streamline and enhance Pakistan’s judicial processes.