Our October 2025 legal update highlights recent legislative and judicial developments across Pakistan, including an overview of the Pakistan Land Port Authority Act, 2025 and the Sindh High Court’s decision in Pakistan State Oil Company Limited v. M/s Gillani (Pvt.) Ltd.
The Finance Act 2025 has revised the rate of withholding tax on services under section 153(1)(b) of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001. Although this is a fiscal amendment, it has practical implications for long-term commercial agreements, particularly in the power and infrastructure sectors where Change in Law provisions are an essential part of contractual risk allocation. The Finance Act provides a useful example of how such provisions are applied in practice.
ABS & Co has drafted the Punjab Central Business District Development Authority (PCBDDA) Procurement Regulations 2024, marking a historic milestone in Pakistan’s public procurement landscape. These regulations, modelled on the UNCITRAL Model Law on Public Procurement, represent the first time that any public procurement agency has used UNCITRAL’s globally recognized model law as the foundation for its public procurement framework.
We are pleased to share that Manahil Gilani, Anza Mahmood and Khawaja Saram have been promoted to Senior Associates.
Manahil has been part of the firm for almost four years having graduated from the Shaikh Ahmad Hassan School Of Law, LUMS in 2021. Anza did his law from the University of London in 2020 and re-joined the firm after being called to the Bar at Lincoln’s Inn in 2024. Saram graduated from the University of London and completed his LLM from the University of Law in 2020 before joining ABS in same year.
Ahmer Bilal Soofi, Founding and Managing Partner of ABS & Co, has been re-elected to the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) International Court of Arbitration. Ahmer will serve for a three-year term from 2024 to 2027.
ABS & Co proudly announces the launch of its dedicated Public International Law Practice. This new venture, headed by Ahmer Bilal Soofi, assembles a team of preeminent legal practitioners and scholars with a passion for public international law and strategy. The practice will provide comprehensive legal services to clients navigating the complexities of the global legal landscape.
We’ve advised on the launch of Pakistan’s latest communication satellite PAKSAT MM1.
ABS & Co’s lead by Amna Warsi and Ayasha Warsi, who lead the practice group on aviation law, have successfully advised the Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) on the launch of Pakistan’s latest communicate satellite PAKSAT MM1. This is the second satellite launched by Pakistan.
Majid Bashir, partner at ABS & Co’s Islamabad office, has been elected as the new president of the Islamabad Tennis Association.
The meeting of the association was held under the chairmanship of President & Chairman, Tariq Mehmood Murtaza. Majid Bashir was elected as the new president for his outstanding services and leadership role.
Founding Partner of ABS & Co, Ahmer Bilal Soofi, spoke at a seminar titled “The Qur’anic Covenant on Alternative Dispute Resolution” during the Riyadh International Disputes Week as part of the series organized by Al-Barak Forum.
Usman Jillani speaks with Case by Case on property and real estate disputes in Pakistan’s courts.
Usman is a partner at ABS & Co’s office in Islamabad where he co-heads the litigation practice. On this podcast, Usman spoke with Case by Case on the ins and outs of land law in Pakistan. The discussion covers boundary and demarcation disputes to inheritance disputes and other common pitfalls that often trip up landowners.
We are thrilled to announce that the first mediation of its kind in a family matter was led ABS & Co’s Barrister Zainab Nasir Khan.
We’ve advised the owners of Quetta Gladiators on a partial sale of their equity stake in the PSL franchise to a Qatar-owned entity.
ABS & Co, led by Samar Masood, acted as transaction advisors for the acquisition of shares by JTA Int’l Investments in Quetta Gladiators. The transaction marks the first ever acquisition of any PSL team by a foreign company. The deal was announced in a ceremony conducted at the Pearl-Continental Hotel in Lahore ahead of the 9th edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL).
In a landmark decision, the Lahore High Court’s Pindi bench has developed the doctrine of “ENE” (Early Neutral Evaluation) in a petition filed by ABS & Co that has resulted in the successful acquisition of the company and a resolution of shareholder disputes.
Our partner appeared as an expert witness in a court (Bortgarting Court of Appeal) in Norway over a property dispute.
Power Construction China has engaged ABS & Co for its EPC dispute with NPPMCL amounting to approximately USD 187 million.
Ahmer Bilal Soofi, a senior partner at ABS & Co, was invited as a guest speaker by the Arms Control and Disarmament Centre, in collaboration with the Sustainable Peace and Development Organization, to deliver a talk on Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems (LAWS) at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad on 9th May 2023. The event was graced by members of the diplomatic community, academia and experts from think tanks.
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