Pakistan launches mobile mediation program News
Pakistan launches mobile mediation program
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[JURIST] Pakistan officials on Tuesday launched a mobile mediation program in the city of Peshawar, with 30 cases, both civil and crimnal, decided on board a bus. Judge Syed Fazal Wadood presided [The Nation report] over the internally-modified Isuzu coach bus, rendering his first verdict within 10 minutes in a civil matter. Litigants were overheard saying that they had waited over six months for justice that took mere minutes. The government hopes to launch 11 more buses [Reuters report] this year.

Started as a Pakistan Supreme Court [official website] initiative and supported by the UN Development Program [official website], the courtroom-on-a-bus is an effort to ameliorate [NBC News report] people’s inability to bring their disputes to brick-and-mortar courts. Due to the cost of litigation and awkward legal procedures there are approximately 1.4 million pending cases across Pakistan.

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