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Our practices

Projects and infrastructure

We act as legal counsel to project sponsors, developers and investors, providing assistance on project structuring, documentation and financing arrangements.

We have long dominated the projects and project finance markets in Pakistan, handling most of the country’s major deals and projects in this space while maintaining a regional practice involving Middle East projects. We handle all aspects of local and cross-border project financing and have extensive experience based on our involvement in some of the region’s landmark projects. We advise sponsors, developers and lenders of projects in various sectors, including construction, energy, power, mining, transport, logistics and infrastructure. We handle a range of bank and capital market financings and projects that combine different forms of complex financing models.

We were involved in drafting Pakistan’s Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority Ordinance 2002 and the regulatory framework for the oil and gas sector. We advise on bidding processes, performance of contracts, project finance, contractual claims, and projects-related disputes. Our expertise encompasses the full range of projects in the construction, oil and gas, power, mining and infrastructure sectors.

Our team members have negotiated and drafted documentation relating to IPPs, cross-border pipeline and transmission line projects, refineries, airports, ports, hospitals, elevated expressways and motorways, telecom projects, LNG/LPG projects and railway projects.

We closely scrutinise the relevant documentation, including checklists relating to the conditions precedent, to be satisfied under the financing arrangements (including LCs, constitutional documentation, board and shareholder resolutions, certificates and letters). We work with our affiliated firm, RIAA Barker Gillette (UK) LLP, to arrange requisite English law legal opinions.

Practice areas
  • Airports
  • Cross-border pipeline and transmission line projects
  • Elevated expressways and motorways
  • Hospitals
  • IPPs
  • LNG/LPG projects
  • Ports
  • Project finance
  • Public private partnerships
  • Railway projects
  • Refineries
  • Telecom projects
At a glance
  • American Maglev Technology, Inc.: represented client in the Karachi Mass Transit Project.
  • Civil Aviation Authority: represented client in the construction of the Jinnah Terminal Karachi Airport.
  • Engro Elengy Terminal: represented the lenders including IFC in a 3MPTA LNG receiving, storage and regasification terminal project.
  • Engro Energy Limited: represented client in the 225 MW Permeate Gas/Diesel based Project at Daharki, Sindh.
  • Government of Pakistan (InterState Gas Systems Limited): represented client in the development and negotiation of various agreements relating to the USD 7b Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India Gas Pipeline Project.
  • Government of Pakistan (InterState Gas Systems Limited): represented client in the development and negotiation of various agreements relating to the USD 4b Iran-Pakistan-India Gas Pipeline Project.
  • Government of Pakistan and the Government of Sindh: represented client in the Karachi Circular Railways Project.
  • Hutchison Port Holdings Limited: represented client in the USD 500m container terminal project at the Pakistan Deep Water Container Port, Karachi.
  • IJM Corporation Berhad: represented client in the Karachi Elevated Expressway Project. Drafted and negotiated the Project Implementation Agreement with CDGK and all ancillary agreements.
  • National Highway Authority: represented client in the construction of the Lahore-Islamabad Motorway, the first ever foreign constructed road project in Pakistan. The Firm drafted and negotiated all the Concession and Financing Agreements on behalf of the client which became the model for subsequent road projects.
  • Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited: represented client in turnkey projects of 200,000 telephone lines throughout Pakistan. Negotiated various transaction and concession documents with Alcatel CIT, Siemens, Ericsson and China Telecom.

Contact one of our lead projects and infrastructure partners today: Hasnain Naqvee, Bilal Shaukat or Nadir Altaf.

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What clients say...

  • Chambers Asia Pacific 2022
    "RIAA are responsive, professional and polite in explaining their advice, well researched in their opinions, and reliable in their response time… they also share commercial and operational consequences of the options presented in their advice. We are very happy with their support…." - Chambers Asia Pacific 2022

  • The Legal 500 2022
    “RIAA has an excellent litigation practice that advises on the full range of contentious issues as well as international arbitrations. The practice regularly handles all forms of civil, commercial, corporate, regulatory and white-collar crime matters before all the courts in Pakistan. It has extensive experience in a diverse range of industry sectors …” – The Legal 500 2022

  • Chambers Asia Pacific 2022
    "We find them to be extremely professional and responsive. They are meticulous in raising all the right legal points but at the same time are very solution-oriented in helping to structure the transactions in the right way to fully protect our legal rights." – Chambers Asia Pacific 2022

  • The Legal 500 2022
    “The team has an excellent track record of working on some of the most significant projects in Pakistan throughout the years.” – The Legal 500 2022 

  • Legal 500 2021
    We have worked with RIAA Barker Gillette for many years on a number of matters, including regulatory issues, labor, general corporate, competition law, and tax matters…..We have found high-quality lawyers across disciplines, who are able to balance the requirement for technically sound advice while also being practical and solution-orientated - Legal 500 2021

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