Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar has said that China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a flagship project of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and that judiciary of Pakistan fully supports it.

The CJP said judiciary of Pakistan is committed to take measures to ease out commercial disputes for smooth implementation of the CPEC projects. He said the Supreme Court has recently held a detailed meeting of all federal departments and ministries with special focus on CPEC. He said Supreme Court has also issued directions to the lower courts not to issue injunctive orders on CPEC projects unless the other parties have been heard.

The CJP expressed these views during his meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Zhou Qiang, president of the Supreme People’s Court of China, in Beijing on Thursday, says a press statement issued by the Supreme Court here.

The CJP, who is on an official visit to China for the 13th meeting of the Presidents and Chief Justices of the Supreme Courts of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member states, also briefed Zhou Qiang about the recently concluded Islamabad Judicial Conference.

The CJP apprised his Chinese counterpart that Pak-China ties are supported by people of both the countries. He also apprised Zhou Qiang about the implementation of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the judicial institutions of the two countries last year during a previous visit to China by the CJP. He stated that judicial cooperation between the two countries has started gaining momentum and there is huge potential for bilateral exchanges in the fields of arbitration, judicial training, automation of judicial systems and use of technology.

Zhou Qiang appreciated the initiatives taken by the Supreme Court of Pakistan and maintained that Pak-China ties enjoy the full confidence of the leadership of the two countries.

The CJP, who was accompanied by Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed and Justice Umar Ata Bandial, invited Zhou Qiang to visit Pakistan to attend the upcoming judicial conference on arbitration.

Published in Daily Times, May 25^th 2018.