George Bermann
Chair, Global Board of Advisors, CIICA
Professor, Columbia Law School, New York, U.S.
Director, Center for International Commercial and Investment Arbitration (CICIA)
- The significance of CIICA reflected, on the one hand, the importance of arbitration itself and on the other, its special value for Pakistan and its region.
- Based on what I have read and heard, Pakistan is decidedly ripe for and needful of the ambitious enterprise being launched today.
Rana Sajjad
Founder & President, CIICA
- I was struck by the glaring lack of elementary knowledge of international arbitration and strongly felt the need for an institutional mechanism to address this issue.
- Government officials and members of the legal and business communities are stakeholders in connection with this initiative and could play a pivotal role.
- Acquaintance with international arbitration will enable the government to manage its international contractual obligations in a more effective manner and it will also have a positive impact on the economy.
- Our goal is to make CIICA a credible and reputable Center both regionally and globally.
Musadiq Malik
Special Assistant to the Prime Minister of Pakistan
Former Caretaker Federal Minister for Water & Power, Pakistan
- If we could strengthen this organization (CIICA) we could decrease the burden on our courts and the speed of justice will increase while the cost of seeking justice would decrease.
- It will also contribute towards building trust in our judicial system and our society which will create a fertile ground for investment.
- By investing in human capital and training arbitrators, mediators and negotiators, we could create a whole new industry. We could have international systems of certification to get people trained/qualified.
- I invite CIICA to discuss creation of an enabling legal framework in Pakistan whereby we have a binding arbitration system.
Chaudhry Sarwar
Former Governor, Punjab
Former Member, British Parliament
- There is an urgent need for safeguarding our legal rights while negotiating international agreements treaties and conventions.
- This is something which is much needed in Pakistan and it should have been done years ago.
- We suffered because we did not develop expertise and legal capacity to deal with the legal challenges in arbitration and dispute settlement matters.
- CIICA will develop a home based capacity by training local people in the highly technical field. Local training will not only make a difference in safeguarding our commercial interests but will also better equip our bureaucrats.
Shahid Hamid
Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of Pakistan
Former Governor, Punjab
- To date, all international arbitration matters to which Pakistani government institutions, statutory and commercial bodies have been a party to have take place outside of Pakistan because we did not have such a Center (CIICA).
- Now that we have a Center like this, I think it needs encouragement from the government and in its arbitration agreements, the seat of arbitration should be in Lahore at CIICA.
Justice (Retd.) Sheikh Riaz
Former Chief Justice of Pakistan
Former Chief Justice, Lahore High Court
- No investor comes to Pakistan until it takes stock of the legal system in the country.
- In the garb of objections to the arbitral award, the matter is reopened and reargued which delays proceedings.
- Centers such as CIICA will help attract foreign investment and help the resolution of disputes.
Hamayun Akhtar
Former Federal Minister of Commerce, Pakistan
Former Chairman, Board of Investment, Pakistan
- Arbitration’s wide use in Pakistan is necessary in view of the growing international economic linkages.
- CIICA will change perceptions and broaden knowledge about international arbitration and remove the false aura and myth around it.
- CIICA has embarked on a challenging though noble journey to spread the benefits of commercial arbitration to Pakistani organizations. It may be a path well-travelled in other countries but one that breaks new ground in Pakistan.
Nudrat Piracha
Partner, Samdani & Qureshi, Islamabad
Fellow, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, United Kingdom
Member, Arbitral Women, United Kingdom
- We need to rehash our laws to protect the state from dispute resolution issues faced in the past. This is where I see this initiative as key because CIICA’s objectives include capacity building, research and analysis, legal and legislative advice. This is exactly what it will take.
- It is going to be long years and it is going to be tremendous effort but without this capacity building the investors and the state cannot realize the full potential and cannot benefit from what international state arbitrations truly have to offer.
Lubna Pathan
Director General, Projects & Policy Research,
Punjab Board of Investment & Trade (PBIT)
- Initiatives like the establishment of CIICA will prove to be a milestone on the way to improving the global ranking of Pakistan as one of the preferred investment destinations.