Pakistan has potential to become international arbitration hub: LHC judge
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is well-positioned to emerge as a preferred seat of international arbitration because of substantial cost benefits and prevailing geopolitical goodwill, said Justice Jawad Hassan of the Lahore High Court’s Rawalpindi bench. “Pakistan is making good progress on infrastructure and laws on arbitration and mediation as there is a large demand for commercial arbitration and…
ISLAMABAD – Pakistan has the potential to become an international arbitration hub, according to Justice Jawad Hassan of the Lahore High Court’s Rawalpindi bench. He noted that Pakistan is making strides in infrastructure and arbitration laws, and there is a growing demand for commercial arbitration and mediation. Speaking at a seminar titled “Can Pakistan Become a Seat of International Dispute Resolution?” at the Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI), Justice Hassan highlighted the upcoming Star Hydro case decision as a catalyst for further progress.
Experts including Asma Hamid, Salahuddin Ahmed, and Brig (retd) Raja Shozab Majeed participated in the discussion, all agreeing that Pakistan has the opportunity but requires sustained reform and capacity-building in the next decade. Pakistan's trade growth through projects like CPEC means most commercial disputes are currently resolved abroad, leading to high costs.
The country is a signatory to the New York Convention and has a growing pool of arbitrators, with around 100 fellows of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators now compared to roughly 150 in Singapore.
Written by urgent.news from Dawn's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
