PESHAWAR: The Dispute Resolution Councils (DRCs) have settled thousands of cases since the first body was set up in 2014.
Eight different DRCs in Peshawar have settled 5476 cases in the last few years. These included property, money and family disputes some of which could create serious law and order situation.
“The DRCs in Peshawar received a total of 13,674 cases, out of which 5,476 were resolved. Another 6,645 were filed or returned, and 811 were referred for necessary action, leaving 742 cases pending,” an official told The News.
He said the DRC cases did not include 3356 applications directly received by Capital City Police Officer Mian Saeed since September last year. The CCPO receives the applications and forwards it to relevant DSP or SHO to call the parties and settle the dispute.
The applications received by DRCs topped the property disputes with 5,706 cases, including 2,252 resolved, 2,689 filed, and 374 still pending. Money-related cases stood at 4,584, with 1,858 resolved, 2,061 filed, and 202 pending.
The family disputes accounted for 2,835 cases, out of which 1,136 were resolved, 1,541 filed, and 101 pending. Vehicle-related cases were comparatively fewer at 182, with 71 resolved and 15 pending.
Other miscellaneous disputes totaled 403, including 149 resolved and 50 pending. The data reflects that property and financial matters remained the most frequent sources of conflict among the residents of Peshawar. A number of DRCs need to be reformed with adding more active and effective members to accelerate operations.
More honest and competent elders who enjoy good reputation must be added to DRCs in Peshawar and other districts in place of those who are not serious and competent, who remain absent mostly and those who misuse the body in society for personal gains.
The scrutiny was tight in the early years but later the SPs, DSPs and SHOs forwarded names of their choices to oblige certain people. A proper check by the Special Branch and DSB is also needed on these bodies. Also, the Special Branch and DSB need to keep an eye on the DSPs and SHOs who are settling disputes since complaints against them have started emerging from various sources in property and financial disputes.
The first DRC in KP was set up in 2014 by the then inspector general of police Nasir Khan Durrani in Gulbahar. The Gulbahar DRC has received 6311 applications since 2014 out of which 2798 have been resolved. It received 2503 cases of property disputes, 2470 of money and 1159 of family disputes. Established in May 2014, Gulberg DRC emerged as one of the busiest councils, handling 3,425 cases. It resolved 1,156 cases and filed 2,043, leaving 86 pending. Family, property, and money disputes formed the major portion of its workload.
Since February 2017, the Hayatabad DRC received 540 cases, resolving 112 and filing 392, while 36 cases remain pending. The majority of cases were related to money and property disputes.
The DRC in Badaber has received 1434 applications since March 2020 and resolved 636. Operational since July 2020, Mathra DRC dealt with 1,109 cases, resolving 472 and filing 506, with 33 cases pending. Property and financial disputes dominated its caseload, alongside family matters.
Established in May 2021, the Hassan Khel DRC received cases. It resolved 251 cases and filed 177, with 22 cases still pending. Property and money disputes were the most prominent categories managed by this council.
The DRCs in Pishtakhara has settled 48 cases from a total of 383 applications since September last year while Daudzai resolved 3 cases out of 22 applications since it started functioning in December last year.
These bodies in Peshawar and KP continue to ease the burden on courts and police stations by addressing disputes across key categories such as property, money, and family issues, ensuring quicker and more accessible justice for the public.
