UPPER DIR: The Strengthening Rule of Law (SRL) in collaboration with United Nation Development Program (UNDP) arranged a one day workshop on the capacity building of representative of Dispute Resolution Councils (DRCs) on Friday at a local hotel.
The workshop was attended by the members of the Strengthening Rule of Law Project of the UNDP, Sarhad Rural Support Programe (SRSP), police department of Dir Upper and the European Union (EU). Around 80 participants including, District Nazim Sahibzada Fasihullah, Qazi Mohammad Rasool District Officer Finance and Planning, Mueen-ud- Din Khattak, DEO Education, President District Bar Council Muhammad Ismail Advocate, SDPO Police, Sher Wazir, Professor Sahibzada Fazlullah, Government and Non-Government Organizations representatives, Office bearers Local Support Organizations, DRCs members and civil society activists attended the workshop. Addressing the concluding ceremony the District Nazim Upper Dir, Sahibzada Fasihullah thanked the partners who had arranged the workshop for DRCs members, saying it would help in developing of capacity building of DRC members and also create awareness among folks.
He said that ‘Jirga’ system was the traditional feature of Pukhtoon society and lots of major disputes had been resolved through Jirgas. He said that district government would provide its full cooperation to DRCs committees in the district.
“The DRCs member should resolve disputes and issues without any political and other favoritism and should remain impartial always and should work without any discrimination,” he added.
Muhammad Ismial Advocate said that the system was very good and effective for speedy justice because once even a minor dispute case went into court it took years to decide due to slow process and now-a-days for poor people it was almost difficult and impossible to effort the expenditure of the case.
He said that the DRCs members did try their best to solve the dispute at the early stage and provide justice to poor and deserve people, adding that the Dir bar council would provide its support to DRCs whenever they would be felt the bar council support.
Specking on the occasion Khan Badshah, member of district DRC, said that the district DRC is comprised of 63 Members. The DRC Dir Upper had received total of 185 cases during last 3 years. Out of which177 cases had been resolved through mediation and 05 cases were under process, he claimed.
The regional program manager of the SRSP, Noor Ajab Khan, said that the SRSP would provide its full support and would help of the DRC because it was serving humanity and provide justice to poor people at door steps.
SDPO Sher Wazir said that the DRCs were established in KP under a standing order by the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and provide alternate dispute resolution services to local population.
The KP government had provided legal framework for DRCs by amending the “Police Order 2002” in 2015. The KP Police had also established DRCs in all districts in KP and had also established offices for them using KP Polices’ own resources.