CJP Nisar meets Chinese counterpart

CJP Nisar meets Chinese counterpart

Beijing (Agencies): Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar on Thursday met his Chinese counterpart, the Honourable Zhou Qiang, president of the Supreme Peoples Court of China.

CJP Nisar 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, according to a press release.

The chief justice told Qiang that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a flagship One Belt One Road project and that the judiciary fully supports CPEC and is committed to taking measures to ease commercial disputes for smooth implementation of CPEC projects, the handout read.

CJP Nisar informed Qiang that the SC had "recently held a detailed meeting of all federal departments/ministries with special focus on CPEC", adding that the apex court had "also issued directions to the lower courts not to issue injunctive orders on CPEC projects unless the other parties have been heard".

The chief justice told his Chinese counterpart that Pak-China ties are supported by people of both countries.

He apprised Qiang on the implementation of a Memorandum of Understanding signed between the judicial institutions of the two countries last year, during a previous visit to China by the CJP.

According to the SC handout, "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".

SPCC President Qiang appreciated the initiatives taken by the SC 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, apprised Qiang about the recently concluded Judicial Conference, and invited him to visit Pakistan to attend the upcoming judicial conference on arbitration.

SPC President Zhou Qiang was accompanied by Pei Xianding, head of the SPC Criminal Tribunal, and Yang Qingming, president of the Beijing High Peoples Court.