Prince Alamgir, Bureau Chief, Daily Dawn, Dawn TV
Lahore: A meeting of the Punjab ADR Accreditation Authority (PADRAA) was held under the chairmanship of Punjab Law Minister Rana Muhammad Iqbal Khan. Secretary Law Asif Bilal Lodhi and DG ADR Javed Akbar Bhatti were also present in the meeting. During the meeting, the Provincial Law Minister was given a detailed briefing on the administrative affairs of the authority, its performance, and the proposed draft amendments to the ADR Act 2019. It was announced that the Punjab ADR Accreditation Authority commenced its operations on November 3, 2025, at Cricket House, Jail Road, Lahore. The authority comprises a Chairperson, a Director General, three official members (secretaries of law, finance, and prosecution), and five expert members. It was further informed that the PADRAA Authority will perform the duties of accreditation and licensing of ADR persons, ADR centers and ADR training institutions. The ADR persons and centers licensed by the Authority will be helpful in resolving the pending cases of the public quickly, with the mutual consent of the parties. The Provincial Minister was further informed that the aim of these amendments is to make the alternative dispute resolution system more effective, transparent and people-friendly. In the meeting, the representative of the Punjab Information Technology Board also informed the Provincial Law Minister about the progress made in the preparation of the PADRAA website and accreditation software. The Law Minister directed that the website and software of the Authority should be completed as soon as possible so that better facilities can be provided to the public. Provincial Law Minister Rana Muhammad Iqbal Khan expressed satisfaction with the proposed legal amendments and directed that these amendments be presented in the assembly soon after approval from the cabinet. On this occasion, the Provincial Law Minister said that the proposed amendments would enable the timely provision of justice to the public through the alternative dispute resolution system. He further said that the alternative dispute resolution system will play a key role in reducing the judicial burden and providing speedy justice. The meeting was attended by officials of the law department and other relevant representatives.
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