Can ADR Provide Restorative Solution in the Age of Dissemination of Fake News & Social Media-Driven Conflicts in Pakistan?

Abstract

The unbridled spread of misinformation and fake news on social media platforms has often triggered public unrest, religious & ethnic tensions, and personal defamation cases in Pakistan. These social media driven conflicts have often led to violent conflicts or prolonged litigation. The orthodox legal system is not potent to deal with digitally induced disputes and has struggled to provide timely, accessible and efficient resolution. The purpose of this article is to explore the growing significance of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) specially mediation as a proactive and restorative solution in the age of misinformation and social media-driven conflicts in Pakistan. The paper proposes a comprehensive frame-work to integrate ADR into Pakistan’s legal infrastructure while drawing comparisons from different states. It underscores that there is a need for mediator’s training in digital conflicts and state-backed policy for law enforcement to develop a culture of dialogue and to resolve the conflicts at root level when they erupt from dissemination of fake news on social media.