The Appellate Tribunal Inland Revenue (Karachi Bench) ruled in favour of a leading pharmaceutical multinational, clarifying the scope of sales tax exemptions for therapeutic products. This landmark pharmaceutical tax exemption judgment annulled demands for sales tax, default surcharges, and penalties.
RIAA Barker Gillette Achieves Top Legal 500 Pakistan Rankings
RIAA Barker Gillette secures Band 1 Legal 500 rankings across four practice areas in the 2026 Asia Pacific guide. Multiple partners recognised as leading lawyers in Pakistan.
RIAA Advises Global Explosives Firm on Mining Sector in Pakistan
RIAA Barker Gillette has advised a global leader in commercial explosives and blasting technology on entering the mining sector in Pakistan. The firm prepared a comprehensive country report assessing the legal framework and country risks relevant to operations in the Tethyan Belt.
RIAA Secures DAAB Decision in Major Dispute on Key Indus River Project
RIAA Barker Gillette secured a binding DAAB ruling on FIDIC price adjustment mechanisms under Sub-Clause 13.7. The decision protects USD 20 million in public funds on a USD 90 million / PKR 17 billion Indus River irrigation project.
RIAA Advises on Acquisition of Novartis Pakistan by Getz Group
RIAA Barker Gillette advised International Investments II Limited, a Getz Group company, on its successful acquisition of Novartis Pharma (Pakistan) Limited. This landmark transaction marks a significant development in Pakistan's pharmaceutical sector.
Increasing tax revenues has proven to be a significant challenge for recent Pakistani governments. The stagnation of the tax to GDP ratio to around 10 percent has widely been attributed to a host of inter-connected factors including weak enforcement, fragmented revenue administrations, low compliance by taxpayers, generous and distortionary exemptions and concessions to entire sectors of the economy and narrow tax bases.
Memorandum on Companies Ordinance, 2016 – Salient Changes
The Companies Ordinance, 2016 (the “2016 Ordinance”) was promulgated on 11 November 2016 and repealed the Companies Ordinance, 1984 (the “1984 Ordinance”), save for the provisions appearing in Sections 282A to 282N of the 1984 Ordinance relating to Non-Banking Finance Companies. This memorandum outlines the material changes brought about by the 2016 Ordinance.
