Prolonged civil litigations: Farogh identifies stumbling block to foreign investors

LAHORE: Federal Law Minister Dr Farogh Nasim on Monday said that the menace of prolonged civil litigation in the country had been a real hurdle in the way of foreign investors.

The minister was speaking at a lawyers' convention hosted by Insaf Lawyers Forum (ILF) headed by Pakistan Bar Council's member Chaudhry Ishtiaq A. Khan.

The minister said significant reforms in the civil procedure code had been introduced by his ministry and if new reforms were implemented in letter and spirit the civil litigation would not be delayed. He claimed that over one hundred thousand cases had been disposed of in the country during the last three years.

President PTI Punjab Senator Ijaz Chaudhry, Adviser to Prime Minister on accountability Mirza Shahzad Akbar and State Minister for information Farrukh Habib also spoke on the occasion. During the three-year stint in the law ministry, Dr Farogh said, he received countless requests for 'favours' but he never compromised merit.

Without naming another faction of the ILF headed by PTI senator Ali Zafar, the minister called the other faction "parachuters". He said the people knew the real and the counterfeit. He said the lawyers of the PTI were the real ILF and their sole agenda was Imran Khan. He said the schemers wanted to oust him from the ministry and he was also willing to leave but "Kaptaan" the Prime Minister Imran Khan did not let him go.

Adviser to prime minister on accountability Mirza Shahzad Akbar said an experienced 'mafia' was the main hurdle in the way of access to justice and PM Iman Khan. He said the foundation of the PTI was to ensure access to justice, which was not possible without the support of the lawyers.

State Minister for information Farrukh Habib said for the first time in history the powerful people of the country had fear of accountability since PTI formed its government.

Referring to the claim of PML-N leadership, the minister said he admitted that the opposition had not committed corruption of a "single penny" but billions of rupees. PTI-Punjab president Senator Ijaz Chaudhry said PM Khan was the only leader in Pakistan after its founder Quaid-i-Azam.

In a statement, the other faction of the ILF said PM Khan himself appointed Barrister Ali Zafar chairman of the forum. It said PTI-Punjab president Ijaz Chaudhry violated the constitution of the party by participating in the convention hosted by the 'outsiders' of the party.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021