Projects and Infrastructure

• Project structuring and concession structuring
• Project finance: conventional debt, syndicated facilities and ECA-backed financings
• Islamic project finance: musharaka, sukuk and ijarah-based structures
• Capital-market financings and project bonds
• Project documentation: implementation agreements, EPC, O&M, supply, off-take and shareholders’ agreements
• Construction contract negotiation: FIDIC Red Book, Yellow Book and Silver Book; EPCM
• Concession agreements and host-government agreements
• Conditions precedent management, drawdown and completion
• Regulatory approvals: PPIB, NEPRA, OGRA, PTA, SECP, CCP, FBR
• Foreign exchange permissions and State Bank of Pakistan filings
• English-law legal opinions arranged through affiliated firm RIAA Barker Gillette (UK) LLP
• Project-related disputes: arbitration (LCIA, ICC, SIAC, ICSID), expert determination and Pakistan-court litigation

Project finance and project documentation — landmark precedents

• The Hub Power Company Limited: Pakistan’s first and largest privately financed power project — the landmark 1,200 MW Hub Power Project. Counsel to the lender consortium that included the World Bank, CDC, Citibank, ABN AMRO and over 70 foreign lenders. The security structure pioneered by the firm for Hubco in the early 1990s continues to be used as the template for IPP financing in Pakistan more than three decades later.
• TAPI Pipeline Company Limited: Reviewed, updated and finalised the Host Government Agreement framework for the multibillion-dollar Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project. Subsequently negotiated the Herat-specific HGA with Afghanistan (signed September 2024), with Mazhar Bangash as lead partner. Aggregate value across the firm’s TAPI and parallel Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline work exceeds USD 11 billion.
• DEG, OPEC Fund and foreign DFI lenders — Engro Expansion: Counsel for DEG (Deutsche Investitions- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft), OPEC Fund and other foreign DFI lenders in the approximately USD 1 billion Engro expansion project — one of the largest DFI-financed energy and industrial investments in Pakistan.
• Engro Elengy Terminal: Counsel to International Finance Corporation, Asian Development Bank and a syndicate of local lenders in the USD 90 million financing of Pakistan’s first Fast Track LNG terminal — a Floating Storage and Regasification Unit at Port Qasim. The structure addressed first-in-kind questions on FSRU taxation, customs duty and payment mechanics, reaching financial close in 2016.

Sponsor and DFI representation — recent landmarks

• Pakistan’s 1994, 2002 and 2006 power policy IPPs (master agreements with the Government of Pakistan, 2020–2021): Represented more than forty private power project companies in the multi-stakeholder negotiations that culminated in the 47-IPP Master Agreement with the Government of Pakistan and its purchasing agency — rationalising generation tariffs against payment of overdue receivables totalling approximately PKR 800 billion across investments from Europe, North America and Asia.
• Sapphire Fibres Limited and Mindbridge (Private) Limited: Acquired 100% of Uch Power (Private) Limited and Uch-II Power (Private) Limited from Engie S.A. of France — one of the most significant power-sector transactions of recent years. Led negotiations on the share purchase agreement and secured regulatory clearances from CCP, State Bank of Pakistan, PPIB and NEPRA. Transaction completed January 2025.

• Independent power project (IPP) development across thermal, hydro, solar, wind and bagasse
• Renewable energy: hydro, solar, wind, bagasse, biomass and biofuels
• Captive and bulk-power-consumer arrangements and wheeling
• Project finance for thermal, hydro and renewable IPPs
• CPEC project documentation and Chinese-lender coordination
• Tariff petitions and reviews before NEPRA and the NEPRA Appellate Tribunal
• Generation, transmission and distribution licensing
• Construction contracts for large hydropower and thermal projects

• The Hub Power Company Limited: Pakistan’s first independent power producer (1,200 MW). Originally lender consortium counsel (World Bank, CDC, Citibank, ABN AMRO and over 70 foreign lenders); counsel to Hubco since 1997 across financing, expansion and subsidiary investments.
• Kohala Hydro Company (Private) Limited: Project company counsel for the approximately 1,124 MW Kohala hydroelectric power generation facility on the Jhelum River cascade — one of the largest hydropower investments in Pakistan, developed with China Three Gorges Corporation under CPEC.
• S.K. Hydro (Private) Limited: Company counsel for the 884 MW Suki Kinari hydropower project under CPEC, with China Gezhouba Group as main sponsor. Negotiated EPC and concession contracts to secure financing from Export-Import Bank of China and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China. Assisted the project to commercial operations in September 2024 — approximately USD 2 billion.
• Tractebel Engineering GmbH (Diamer Basha Consultants Joint Venture): Defended an international engineering consultancy as part of the Diamer Basha Consultants Joint Venture in WAPDA arbitration claims totalling PKR 8.845 billion (approximately USD 31 million) concerning the design and planning of the 4,800 MW Diamer Bhasha Dam Project — Pakistan’s largest hydropower development. Secured complete dismissal of all claims.

• Motorways, expressways and toll-road concessions
• Airports: terminal construction, airline regulatory compliance and aviation infrastructure
• Ports and container terminals: concession agreements, BOT structures and operations
• Cross-border gas pipelines and LNG infrastructure (FSRU, terminals, transmission)
• Refined-product and crude pipelines
• Railways and mass-transit infrastructure
• Telecoms infrastructure: turnkey rollouts and concession arrangements
• FIDIC Red Book, Yellow Book and Silver Book construction contracts
• Dispute boards and contractual claims management
• Stakeholder coordination across federal, provincial and district authorities (NHA, CDGK, CAA, Karachi Port Trust, Port Qasim Authority, Sindh Environment Protection Agency)

Roads and motorways

• Hyderabad-Sukkur Motorway (M-6) — three client mandates: Pakistan’s largest road PPP — a 306 km, six-lane, access-controlled motorway under CPEC valued in excess of PKR 307 billion. Advised three separate clients across the workstreams: Techno Engineering Services on EPC and financial documentation; Zahir Khan and Brothers during bidding and bankability negotiations with the National Highway Authority; and China State Construction Engineering Corporation on the concession agreement.
• National Highway Authority — Lahore-Islamabad Motorway: Counsel for NHA on the construction of Pakistan’s first privately developed motorway. The concession and financing agreements that the firm drafted became the template for subsequent road projects in the country.
• IJM Corporation Berhad of Malaysia — Karachi Elevated Expressway Project: Drafted and negotiated the project implementation agreement with the City District Government of Karachi and all ancillary agreements.
• Malir Expressway (Private) Limited: Legal advisor to the successful consortium and subsequently to the project company on the signing of the concession agreement with the Government of Sindh for a PPP-mode expressway in Karachi.
• Shajar Roads Limited — Punjab’s first road PPP: Project company counsel from bidding through financial close and commercial operations. Developed the inter-departmental coordination SOPs that have since been adopted as the standard for subsequent provincial road PPPs. Negotiated multiple extensions of time without litigation and established precedent for tariff increases on account of unforeseen inflation. PKR 25 billion+.

Aviation

• Civil Aviation Authority: Counsel on the construction of Karachi International Airport (Jinnah Terminal) and advisory on Islamabad airport development — among the largest public infrastructure projects in Pakistan’s aviation sector.
• Pakistan Airports Authority: Appeal before the Islamabad High Court defending the finality and enforceability of an arbitration award issued by a former Chief Justice of Pakistan in a substantial construction dispute.
• A KSA office of a Big Four professional services firm: Developed a comprehensive airline regulatory compliance framework for a major international airline preparing to launch operations in Pakistan — a cross-border mandate originating from the Middle East requiring deep Pakistan regulatory expertise.

Ports

• South Asia Terminals Pakistan Limited (Hutchison Port Holdings subsidiary): Legal advisor to the operator of a deep-water container terminal at Kemari, Karachi, under a concession granted by the Karachi Port Trust — one of Pakistan’s most significant port-infrastructure concessions.
• Karachi International Container Terminal Limited (Hutchison subsidiary): Successfully defended a long-running dispute with Pakistan Customs over the temporary shifting of excess containers to Karachi Port Trust stevedore yards.

Cross-border gas pipelines, LNG and gas infrastructure

• Government of Pakistan (Inter State Gas Systems Limited) — TAPI: Approximately USD 7 billion Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India Gas Pipeline Project — drafting, negotiation and updating of the Host Government Agreement framework over many years.
• Government of Pakistan (Inter State Gas Systems Limited) — IPI: Approximately USD 4 billion Iran-Pakistan-India Gas Pipeline Project — the suite of project agreements.
• White Oil Pipeline Project: Advised the financiers of the 477 km pipeline project aimed at improving the distribution efficiency of petroleum products across Pakistan — a nationally significant midstream infrastructure investment.
• Tabeer Energy / Mitsubishi Corporation / Diamon Gas: Counsel on Pakistan’s first integrated LNG project, with FDI of up to USD 300 million — the first time the state-owned pipeline network has been opened to a third-party shipper.

Railways and telecoms

• Government of Pakistan and Government of Sindh: Karachi Circular Railways Project.
• Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited: Turnkey rollout of 200,000 telephone lines across Pakistan. Negotiated transaction and concession documents with Alcatel CIT, Siemens, Ericsson and China Telecom.

• Provincial and federal PPP framework advisory (Punjab PPP Act 2019; Sindh PPP Act 2010; KPK and Balochistan PPP frameworks; federal Public-Private Partnership Authority)
• Feasibility studies, procurement design, RFP and bidding documents
• Concession agreements: BOOT, BOT, DBOM and provincial equity-participation structures
• Special Economic Zone development under the SEZ Act 2012, including NEPRA licensing for electricity distribution and supply within zones
• ADB-supported and multilateral-supported PPP transactions
• Unsolicited-proposal advisory and bankability structuring
• REIT structuring and REIT Management Company set-up for urban development authorities
• Stakeholder coordination across multiple government departments and agencies
• PPP M&A: secondary-market share sales and equity restructuring in government-private joint ventures
• NEPRA tariff disputes and NAB-related clawback provisions on PPP M&A
• Public-sector dispute board representation
• Procurement under the Public Procurement Rules 2004

Special Economic Zones

• Government of Sindh — Thatta/Dhabeji SEZ (CPEC): Legal consultant to the Investment Department, as part of a financial, legal and technical advisory consortium, on the establishment of the Dhabeji SEZ in PPP mode. Drafted feasibility report, prepared RFP and PPP agreement, presented at roadshows and pre-bid conferences and negotiated the concession agreement with the preferred bidder. One of nine SEZs planned under CPEC; PKR 45 billion+.
• Rashakai SEZ (CPEC): Advised on the first zone under the SEZ Act 2012 to apply to NEPRA for distribution and supply licences, navigating the regulatory interface between SEZ concession law and power-sector licensing. PKR 10 billion.
• PIDCL / Bin Qasim Industrial Park SEZ: SEZ development on a PPP basis, including NEPRA licensing applications for power distribution and supply within the zone. PKR 3.6 billion.
• KP Economic Zones Development and Management Company: Advising the government-owned company responsible for SEZ development in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on contracts with private development contractors and legal structuring of projects. PKR 150 billion+.

Health and education

• Capital Development Authority — Capital Hospital Islamabad PPP: Legal advisor on CDA’s first major federal health-sector PPP, supported by the Asian Development Bank, for the modernisation and expansion of the principal tertiary-care hospital in Islamabad. Mandated to design the concession structure, risk allocation framework, procurement approach and key transaction documents. Intended as a template for future federal health PPPs. PKR 12 billion (approximately USD 80 million).
• Colaraz LLC — Higher Education Digital Platform PPP: Advising on a pioneering edtech PPP for the development of a digital platform for higher education in Pakistan.

Urban services and municipal infrastructure

• Communications and Works Department, Government of Punjab — Clean Roads PPP: Acting as part of a multidisciplinary consortium on a large-scale PPP for modernising road cleaning and maintenance services across Punjab. Role includes PPP framework advisory, concession and procurement document drafting, regulatory risk assessment and bankable project structuring. PKR 60 billion+.
• Karachi BRTS Green and Orange Line: Advising the sponsor on the Karachi Bus Rapid Transit System (Green Line and Orange Line) on a PPP basis — a sustainable mass-transit network for Pakistan’s largest city. USD 20 million.
• Sukkur Municipal Corporation — 46 project sites: Advising on the development of 46 project sites across Sukkur to attract tourism and beautify the city. Proposed an innovative licence model for certain sites to expedite development — the first time a local-government entity in Pakistan has embarked on public-space development at this scale. PKR 8 billion+.
• Government of Sindh — Karachi Water Supply Board K-IV Project: Financial, legal and technical advisory consortium for the major municipal water-supply augmentation jointly developed by the provincial and federal governments.

Land development, urban planning and tourism

• Ministry of Information and Broadcasting — Federal Government Land Development PPP: Pilot federal PPP for the commercial development of unutilised federal land in Karachi and Islamabad. Findings expected to inform federal policy on future land-based PPPs and to provide a replicable framework. PKR 5 billion.
• Ravi Urban Development Authority — Chaharbagh Project: Legal advisor on multiple PPP-model projects including the Chaharbagh infrastructure project. Prepared the RFP and draft concession agreement and led contract negotiations following the competitive award. Part of the Ravi City urban development plan.
• Ravi Urban Development Authority — REIT Management Company: Setting up the Authority’s wholly-owned REIT Management Company (a non-banking finance company) to launch REIT schemes for residential and commercial urban development. Mandate awarded after competitive bidding involving most market-leading firms.
• Government of Sindh — Lab-e-Mehran Tourism Project (Sukkur): Advising the Province of Sindh on Sukkur’s first PPP project — a tourist resort on a PPP basis. Role includes regulatory framework analysis, proposing legislative amendments, preparing bidding documents and finalising the concession agreement. PKR 3 billion+.
• Sports, Culture, Tourism, Archaeology, Museum and Youth Affairs Department, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa — Tourism PPP, Swabi: Advising on a tourist resort at Swabi, among the first PPP tourism projects in the province. Procurement package intended as a template for future provincial tourism PPPs. PKR 5 billion.
• Government of Balochistan — Ziarat Valley Development Authority: Feasibility and legal-framework development for the Ziarat Valley Development Authority, a proposed body to promote tourism in the UNESCO heritage site with its ancient juniper forests. PKR 4 billion.

First-of-kind PPPs and PPP M&A

• A Japanese multinational — Pakistan’s first nature-based-solutions PPP for carbon credits: Advising on a nature-based-solutions green-infrastructure PPP for mangrove afforestation in Sindh and the international sale of carbon credits — one of the first such projects in Pakistan and a pioneer in developing the country’s carbon-credits market.
• Solar Salt Mining Project (Balochistan): Advising on what is proposed to be the world’s largest solar salt mining project, developed on a PPP basis — the first PPP in Pakistan’s mining sector, expected to attract foreign JV partners and FDI. PKR 18 billion.
• Sindh Nooriabad Power Companies — provincial-equity gas PPP and share sale: Project counsel on the pioneering provincial-government equity-participation power-sector PPP (Government of Sindh 49% / private 51%) covering two 50 MW gas-fired power facilities. Subsequently advised on a strategic share sale and represented the companies before the Islamabad High Court challenging NEPRA tariff-adjustment decisions. PKR 50 billion+.
• Kahna Flyover (Private) Limited — PPP secondary share sale: Advised on the sale of shares in the project company operating the Kahna flyover in Lahore under concession from the Province of Punjab — one of the first sales of a PPP project in Punjab to an investor. Complex execution because of the government approvals and NAB-related clawback provisions. PKR 836 million.

• Pakistan Mining Law: Lexology Panoramic Guide – March 2026
• Pakistan’s First Green Captive Power Project under Ijarah structure – October 2025
• Pakistan Power Sector Legal Framework: 2025 Chambers Guide – August 2025
• Pakistan Public Procurement Law – July 2025
• RIAA Advises on Landmark TAPI Pipeline Host Agreement in Afghanistan – January 2025
• Pakistan Public Private Partnership Laws 2025 – November 2024
• Pakistan Power Generation, Transmission & Distribution 2024 – September 2024
• Public-Private Partnership Projects in Punjab – July 2024
• RIAA Barker Gillette (Pakistan) engaged to advise on major highway projects – February 2023
• Advising major global telecommunications equipment manufacturer – February 2023