ISLAMABAD: With massive contracts related to the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Pakistan has to improve its arbitration laws and be actively involved in international legal process in order to prevent lengthy litigation in case of disputes with various businesses, said Prof Khawar Qureshi on Friday.

Prof Qureshi is one of the world`s leading commercial litigation and international law counsels and is a Queen`s Counsel at the McNair Chambers LLC. He was giving an overview of the arbitration developments including institutional rule changes, investment treaty cases and the need for the establishment of new institutions at a discussion in Serena Hotel.

He said Pakistan has been losing international arbitrations regarding business or conflicts with neighbouring countries mainly due to lack of interest by policymakers in international legal forums.

He said almost all developing countries strive to invite investors and enter into contracts with foreign investors and commercial entities which included provisions to deal with disputes outside of domestic courts. `Contracts the massive CPEC projects coming up are likely to include such provisions,` Mr Qureshi said and discussed several cases that Pakistan lost to various businesses.

`The major outcome attached with maintaining unnecessary secrecy is that you do not learn anything,` he said adding the disputes in businesses arise mainly because of corruption and due to lack of competency.

He said Pakistan should only improve its dispute resolution laws to accommodate the investors and make things more transparent, which will eventually bring a good name for the country among internal investors and avoid disputes with investors. Staff Reporter