Bakhtawar Bilal Soofi

Associate Partner

Lahore

Related Capabilities

Commercial Disputes, Constitutional and Appellate Litigation, Construction and Infrastructure Disputes, Employment, Litigation, Real Estate

‘His advocacy and performance in the courtroom stands out.’ Legal 500

Bakhtawar is an Associate Partner at the firm’s office in Lahore where he works as part of the Dispute Resolution practice. He has over eight years of experience as a litigator and handles contentious matters related to constitutional, employment and tax issues in the High Courts.

As part of the dispute resolution practice, he has advised on several construction-related disputes involving the Neelum-Jhelum Hydro Power Project, Dasu Hydro Power Project, Suki Kinari Hydro Power Project, Kohala Hydro Power Project, Orange Line Metro Bus Project Lahore, Rawalpindi-Islamabad Metro Project, Multan Metro Project, Serena Hotel Project, EOBI Mall/Mixed Used Development Project, UCH-II Gas Field Project, Qatar Radio and Television Complex with Asghal and the NHA-Magic River dispute on the M-2. He regularly counsels on preparation of claims pertaining to extension of time (EOT), prolongation costs, acceleration costs, disruption costs, claims for escalation in unit rates, variations and their pricing and other tax related issues that affect project time-lines and costs.

Bakhtawar also works as part of the firm’s Property and Real Estate practice. He has advised on a number of real estate projects which includes Vantage 94 Apartment Buildings by Casa Grande Ventures Private Limited, Capital Smart City Islamabad by Future Development Holdings, Pak Arab Housing Society by Vital Enterprises, River-Ravi Urban Development Project by Habib Rafiq Private Limited and the development of the Central Business District by the Lahore Central Business District Development Authority (LCBDDA).

He has previously advised a number of government entities such as the Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination, Pakistan Railways, the Water and Sanitation Agency and the National Transmission & Despatch Company on constitutional issues related to devolution, legislative competence and property law. Prior to joining ABS & Co, Bakhtawar worked at Saad Rasool Law Associates and at Haidermota & Co in Karachi where he worked as a corporate attorney on several transactions in the energy and infrastructure sectors.

He frequently writes in some of Pakistan’s leading English newspapers including Dawn and The News. He has co-authored the In-House Lawyer’s country guide to Commercial Litigation in Pakistan. He is a member of the Adjunct Faculty at the Sheikh Ahmad Hassan School of Law at LUMS and has also previously taught at the Nadira Hasan Law Department at Kinnaird.

United Bank Limited in bringing a successful claim for recovery of Rs. 2.069 billion against Amtex Limited
Baalbaki Group S.A (Offshore) Limited in bringing proceedings in Pakistan for the enforcement of a foreign judgment
McDonald’s in an important eviction matter involving a lease dispute with the landlord of a Faisalabad outlet
Porsche in a constitutional petition challenging the imposition of a regulatory duty on the import of luxury cars by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR)
China Ocean Engineering Construction Company in challenging the imposition of provincial sales tax on services before the Sindh High Court
Vinci SA, the world’s largest construction company by revenue, in a dispute against the Government of Punjab in relation to the award of an O&M Contract for a 10-MGD SWT Plant
Punjab Population Innovation Fund (PPIF) before the Lahore High Court in a case concerning the constitutionality of section 42 companies established by the Government of Punjab
Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) in several landmark petitions challenging the imposition of aquifer charges for the extraction of groundwater from Lahore’s water table
National Bank of Pakistan in a major employment dispute with regular employees regarding the internal management structure and cadre of the bank related to management trainee officers
Habib Bank Limited in major recovery proceedings for a total value of more than PKR 200 million before the Lahore High Court against a major rice manufacturer
Psychic VR Limited, a Japanese tech company, in bringing civil and criminal proceedings against one of its employees in Pakistan for breach of fiduciary duties and for committing fraud

China Ghezouba Group Companies Limited in relation to a construction dispute with WAPDA concerning several variation orders arising from the Neelum-Jhelum Hyrdro Power Project
Kingcrete Builders in arbitration proceedings for claims arising out of the termination of a contract for the construction of Federal Government Employees Housing Authority Apartment Building in G-13, Islamabad (a flagship project of the Prime Minister’s Naya Pakistan Housing Scheme)
Mughals Pakistan in bringing a succesful arbitration claim against EOBI for Rs. 1.9 billion arising out of the construction of the EOBI Hotel Project
Zealcon Engineering in relation to a construction dispute with OGDCL pertaining to the UCH-II Gas Field Project
TAG Engineering W.L.L in relation to a construction dispute with the Public Works Authority (Asghal) arising out of the construction and development of the Qatar Radio and Television Complex
Maqbool-Calsons JV with respect to its claim for the revision of rates in light of Covid-19 in relation to the Infrastructure Development of Quaid-e-Azam Business Park (QABP), Sheikhupura
Fizza Developers in respect of a construction claim arising from the EPC contract for the development of Essem Hotel, Islamabad
Ch. Abdul Latif & Sons with respect to the contract management of its project with the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) for the Construction of Underpass at Samnabad Morr, Multan Road, Lahore
Mirza Associates in relation to its dispute with the Employer arising out of a design and consultancy agreement concerning the Kohala Hydro Power Project
ZKB-Reliable JV in relation to the preparation of cost claims for extension of time (EOT) arising out of the ADB Funded Punjab Intermediate Cities Improvement Investment Project, Sialkot (Lots 1 – 4)

Lahore Central Business District Development Authority in relation to the auction of Plots 01-09 facing Main Boulevard Lahore including advise on transaction structure, project documentation and the preparation of sale/purchase agreements with the successful bidders
Case Grande Ventures Private Limited in relation to the development, construction, marketing and sale of residential units in Vantage 94 Apartment Buildings situated in Gulberg, Lahore
Samsons Group of Companies in relation to the development, construction, finance and operation of the Malam Jabba Ski Resort including the hotel operator agreement with Pearl-Continental Hotel
A Silicon Valley start-up on providing an eREIT platform for pooling small-sized assets and investing them in real estate using FinTech
Pakistan International Airlines Corporation on drafting and negotiating PPP Agreements on a BOOT basis for three different multi-unit development projects in Sialkot, Islamabad and Karachi
Palm Hospitality in relation to the construction, service operation and lease agreement of the Grand Palm Hotel in Lahore
McDonald’s with respect to its acquisition of land and development of restaurants across Pakistan including drafting lease agreement and advise on building approvals and land use restrictions
Vital Enterprises Private Limited in relation to the expansion of Pak Arab Housing Society by drafting land purchase agreements for new block extensions
WAK Private Limited in the relation to the buy-back from Silk Bank Limited and subsequent sale of factory land situated on Multan Road to private third-party buyers

Education

LL.M., University of Chicago

LL.B., SOAS

Membership

High Courts of Pakistan

"I have worked closely with Mr. Bakhtawar Bilal Soofi and found him to be an exceptional lawyer with a special ability to communicate solutions in a very knowledgeable and friendly manner. Trustworthy, creative and technical, Mr. Soofi has provided excellent support and advice on the company’s strategy in relation to a high-stakes matter."