Law and Policy Review https://journals.umt.edu.pk/index.php/lpr <p style="text-align: justify;">LPR is an international open-access Bi-annual journal launched in 2020 by the School of Law and Policy, University of Management and Technology, Lahore, Pakistan. LPR is a peer-review journal, which is published biannually. It not only entertains pieces that are exclusively on law and policy, but also pieces that are interdisciplinary in nature. The aim is to not only provide a platform for discussing and analyzing Pakistan and global matters but also to promote quality research in Pakistani legal academia.</p> en-US <p><em>LPR </em>follow an open-access publishing policy and full text of all published articles is available free, immediately upon publication of an issue. The journal’s contents are published and distributed under the terms of the <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International</a> (<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC-BY 4.0</a>) license. Thus, the work submitted to the journal implies that it is original, unpublished work of the authors (neither published previously nor accepted/under consideration for publication elsewhere). On acceptance of a manuscript for publication, a corresponding author on the behalf of all co-authors of the manuscript will sign and submit a completed&nbsp;the <a href="https://ojs.umt.edu.pk/index.php/jqm/libraryFiles/downloadPublic/44" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Copyright and Author Consent Form.</a></p> [email protected] (Dr Kashif Imran Zadi, Khushbakht Qaiser) [email protected] (Assistant Editor) Fri, 14 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0000 OJS 3.1.2.1 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 60 An Analytical Study of the Challenges Facing Religious Minorities: Advocating for Reforms and Empowerment https://journals.umt.edu.pk/index.php/lpr/article/view/6460 <p style="text-align: justify;">This study examines the disturbing practice of forced religious conversions and the violation of minority rights in Sindh, Pakistan, focusing on the complex interrelation between the legal frameworks, sociocultural pressures, and institutional failures. Pakistan’s Constitution (1973) guarantees religious freedom as a fundamental right, as outlined in Articles 20 (freedom to profess religion and to manage religious institutions) and 22 (safeguards to educational institutions in respect of religion). However, religious minorities, particularly young women are more vulnerable to systematic violence which limits their freedom of belief. This research adopts a multidisciplinary approach, encompassing legal analysis, empirical data and testimonies from victims to highlight the shortcomings of legislative and judicial responses.&nbsp; Through a comparative analysis of local and international human right obligations, this study aims to address the gaps in the implementation of laws protecting religious minorities in Sindh, offering recommendations to improve legal and policy interventions.</p> Arooj Aziz Malik, Muhammad Waqar Copyright (c) 2025 Arooj Aziz Malik, Muhammad Waqar https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 https://journals.umt.edu.pk/index.php/lpr/article/view/6460 Fri, 14 Mar 2025 04:22:30 +0000 State Immunity and its Impact on Investment Protection: Challenges and Prospects in International Investment Law https://journals.umt.edu.pk/index.php/lpr/article/view/6319 <p style="text-align: justify;">A fundamental principle in international law is state immunity or state sovereignty. When interacting with investment law, this principle presents significant challenges, especially regarding investment protection. This study focuses on balancing sovereign rights and investor protection by exploring the issues and complications related to state immunity in investment disputes concerning arbitration, for execution of arbitral awards. It is found that legal safeguards for state immunity often obstruct investors from finding remedies for breaches of investment contracts. To reconcile these issues, this study discusses modern-day techniques regarding international investment treaties, following the emerging trends in customary law. By analyzing multiple case laws, the study sheds light on the challenges investors face during the arbitration process and enforcement of arbitral awards against the host state. In search of reforms to find a balanced legal framework, the role of prominent international organizations in the arbitration system is also discussed. The findings of this study suggest that, although state sovereignty is a substantial barrier, specific provisions in agreements including a transparent arbitration process, clarity in attaching assets, continuous review of contracts and right of appeal against arbitral awards should be incorporated.</p> Muhammad Salman Shafiq Copyright (c) 2025 Muhammad Salman Shafiq https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 https://journals.umt.edu.pk/index.php/lpr/article/view/6319 Fri, 28 Mar 2025 07:45:06 +0000