RAWALPINDI: Justice Jawad Hassan of the Lahore High Court (LHC), Rawalpindi Bench, has issued a detailed verdict approving a settlement reached through mediation and arbitration in a land dispute dating back to 1983. The decision marks the conclusion of a 43-year-old compensation case involving the acquisition of 259 Kanals and 03 Marlas of land by the state.
The verdict is self-explanatory: in a judicial system often criticized for its backlog and procedural delays, the successful resolution of the Ojhri Camp land dispute serves as a compelling paradigm of how arbitration can resolve even the most deeply rooted legal conflicts. By moving away from the rigid, adversarial nature of the courtroom toward a consensual framework, a dispute that spanned nearly half a century was finally laid to rest. This outcome proves that Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) is not merely a secondary option, but a vital tool for achieving swift and lasting justice.
A nearly 43-year-old land dispute over the Ojhri Camp area has been amicably resolved through arbitration, bringing to an end a long-running compensation case linked to state land acquisition. Issuing the verdict in response to pleas pending since 1983, Justice Jawad Hassan approved a settlement reached through the arbitration process. Under the settlement, compensation amounting to Rs2.30 billion has been paid to the affectees of 259 Kanals and three Marlas of land at Ojhri Camp. The landowners agreed to accept the compensation determined by the GHQ Board in 2014, the court noted.
“The resolution of the 43-year-old Ojhri Camp dispute proves that arbitration is not merely a secondary option, but a vital tool for achieving swift and lasting justice.”
While approving the settlement, the court declared that the legal right of the affectees to seek enhancement of compensation under the Land Acquisition Act would remain protected. It clarified that the affectees could still approach relevant courts by filing references for an increase in compensation. The petitions for compensation were originally filed in 1983 after the Pakistan Army acquired the land. The court record also noted that the tragic Ojhri Camp incident of April 10, 1986 occurred on the same site.
In its written order, the court stressed that mediation committees and arbitration institutions are an urgent necessity for Pakistan’s judicial system, observing that such mechanisms save valuable time, money and energy for litigants. Following the approval of the settlement, the LHC disposed of the writ petitions and all related applications.
