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Carrying Forward a Legacy of Justice: Bail Reform in Focus

Inspired by the lifelong commitment of our Senior Consultant, Abid Hassan Minto, to constitutional rights and social justice, our team has launched a focused research initiative on bail reform in Pakistan. This project seeks to examine systemic shortcomings in pre-trial detention and propose meaningful legal and institutional reforms.

Recognized by AsiaIP: Building Momentum in IP with Audri Vox

We take pride in our association with Audri Vox, a renowned international law firm specializing in Intellectual Property. In recognition of our growing footprint in this space, we were recently featured in AsiaIP’s regional rankings for our work in trademark and copyright law— a reflection of the trust our clients place in us and the depth of our team’s expertise. 

Continuing Our Work with ASI & REMIT Pakistan

We’re pleased to continue our partnership with Adam Smith International under the REMIT Pakistan initiative, funded by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). Having contributed to the development of a federal Regulatory Reform Package, we are now supporting Phase 2, which expands the project’s focus to include provincial-level regulatory reform. 

Driving Federal Regulatory Reforms with ASI & REMIT

MSU is providing ongoing support to REMIT Pakistan, a project funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), United Kingdom, and implemented by Adam Smith International (ASI), in developing a federal Regulatory Reform Package aimed at improving the ease of doing business in various sectors. Our team provides technical assistance to help streamline regulatory frameworks and promote sustainable economic growth across Pakistan.

Operationalizing the Asaan Karobar Act, 2025

Our Partners Bilal Hasan Minto and Muhammad Usman have been engaged by REMIT Pakistan to support the implementation of the Asaan Karobar Act through the drafting of the Asaan Karobar Rules. Their work includes developing the institutional framework including asaan karobar technical unit and pakistan regulatory registry facilitate effective implementation of the Asaan Karobar Act and improve the ease of doing business in Pakistan.

Redrafting the Asaan Karobar Bill

MSU was engaged to review and redraft the Asaan Karobar Bill, a key legislative initiative aimed at streamlining the regulatory regime for businesses in Pakistan. Our team collaborated with institutional partners to ensure the proposed framework facilitates ease of entry, reduces compliance burdens, and promotes regulatory clarity for entrepreneurs and investors across the country.

Contributing to National Dialogue on Drug Law Reform: CNSA Policy Brief with JPP & CFLI

MSU recently contributed to national conversations on drug policy reform through a policy brief critically analyzing the Control of Narcotics Substances Act, 1997. The policy brief was presented at a high-level consultation co-hosted by Justice Project Pakistan and the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI), with a focus on developing a public health and human rights–centered approach to Pakistan’s drug laws.

The Brief may be accessed here (https://jpp.org.pk/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/JPP-MSU-CFLI-Policy-Brief_CNSA-Analysis.pdf ) and the post event report may be accessed here (https://jpp.org.pk/report/reimagining-justice-public-health-and-human-rights-centered-drug-policy/ )

Developing Institutional Policies for LUMS & Friends of LUMS UK

MSU was engaged by Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) to review and redraft the Institutional Safeguarding Policy(ies). This required strengthening safeguarding mechanisms, reporting procedures, accountability structures, ethical conduct standards, and protection measures designed to create a safe environment for students, staff, and stakeholders. MSU also contributed to the review and development of the Gender Equality and Inclusion Policy, aiming to strengthen equality, accessibility, diversity, participation, and non-discrimination across institutional policies and practices. We also advised Friends of LUMS UK (a charity registered in England & Wales) in drafting Sanctions Compliance, Donor and Cause Selection, and Donation & Spending Policies. We also drafted Anti-Money Laundering and Counter Terrorism Financing Policies for both LUMS and Friends of LUMS UK.

ACU Martha Farrell Gender Grant Initiative

Our partner Saram Israr conducted workplace harassment awareness training across public sector universities under the ACU Martha Farrell Gender Grant Initiative. The training focused on prevention of workplace harassment, awareness of rights and responsibilities, reporting mechanisms, institutional accountability, respectful workplace practices, and the promotion of safe and inclusive environments. The project complements his litigative experience representing parties in proceedings under the Protection against Harassment of Women at the Workplace Act, 2010.

Strengthening Institutional Governance at Pakistan Institute of Fashion & Design

MSU was engaged by the Pakistan Institute of Fashion & Design (PIFD), Lahore to draft and review key governance documents and institutional statutes. This included the development of service statutes, pension and gratuity statutes, statutes dealing with provident funds, and efficiency & discipline aimed at strengthening institutional governance, administrative capacity, regulatory compliance, and transparent decision-making within the university.

Strengthening Public Health Governance in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Our partners Bilal Hasan Minto and Muhammad Usman have supported Palladium under the FCDO-funded Evidence for Health (E4H) Programme in assisting the Health Department, Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with the revision of key health sector laws, rules, and service structures. This includes drafting the KP Public Health Act, 2026, alignment of the province’s public health framework with the International Health Regulations, 2005, and broader efforts to strengthen institutional capacity, accountability, and evidence-based decision-making within the health sector.

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Taxation

MSU handles all kinds of tax matters, including: Income Tax, Sales Tax on Goods & Services, Federal Excise and Customs. We provide tax advice to our individual and institutional clients and also represent them before tribunals and courts.

We understand that in cross-border dealings, clients often require advice on structuring their transactions or businesses keeping in view the taxation regime in place at the relevant time in Pakistan. With the Double Tax Treaty framework growing worldwide, the divergences between treaties signed between different countries have also increased. This makes the choice of applicable treaty regime a central question of International Tax Planning for non-resident clients. In this regard, we provide advice to our clients, and assist them in developing the most tax efficient business models. We deal with matters involving interpretation and application of Tax Treaties and principles of cross border business taxation. We also advise on attribution of profits to permanent establishments and dealings between Associates involving application of Report on Attribution of Profits and Transfer Pricing Guidelines. Due to our multidisciplinary expertise in Taxation, Company Law, Constitutional Law, Commercial Litigation, and Arbitration we offer holistic risk analysis to our clients and offer comprehensive solutions, peculiar to the specific nature of a business.

We also advise our clients on future course of action in light of changes introduced by the Government in the taxation regime at the start of every financial year. Moreover, we have successfully represented our clients before the Tribunals constituted under tax laws and the provincial High Courts, both in statutory References and the High Courts’ Constitutional jurisdiction.

Barrister Muslim Taseer

Education

  • Bar-at-Law (The Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn) 2023
  • M. (Bar Vocational Practice), Northumbria University 2023
  • Trained Mediator, The Society of Mediators 2023
  • B. (Hons.), Newcastle University 2022

Profile

Muslim was called to the Bar of England & Wales by the Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn in 2023, scoring a dual distinction in his Bar Course and LL.M, for which he authored a thesis on economic inequality within the law. He completed his LL.B in 2022 and earned firsts in Law and Social Justice, Medical Law and Contract Law. Muslim assists the Partners with research and drafting in several areas, including Tax, Company, and Tort Law. He also works on the firm’s consultative work, and assisted extensively in drafting a policy brief on the Control of Narcotic Substances Act.

Prior to joining MSU in 2024, Muslim worked as a paralegal for Winn Solicitors, a RTA firm in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. He practiced as a pro-bono representative in the First Tier Tribunals in London through the Free Representation Unit, and as an Education Advocate through SIRG UK. In 2025, he left the firm to spend a year working in legal aid as a Discrimination Law Triage Worker for Citizen’s Advice in Gateshead, and continued his volunteer advocacy, before returning to MSU in 2026.

He has experience as a journalist and served as the Deputy Editor of Newcastle University’s student newspaper, and founded a local satirical publication that grew to have over thirty contributors. Muslim regularly contributes articles to newsletters, such as Amicus UK, and volunteers with organisations such as Solidaritee and Asylex as a legal researcher.

Email

m.taseer@msulegal.com

Qasim Afzal

(Junior Court Clerk)

Nouman Ali

(Senior Court Clerk)

Sohail Raza

(Office Manager)

Email:

sohail@msulegal.com

Saadullah Tahir

Admissions and Education

  • Advocate High Courts of Pakistan (2014)
  • University of California, Berkeley, LL.M. (2017)
  • University of London, LL.B. (Hons.) (2011)

Profile

Saadullah Tahir initially joined the Firm in 2016, following his clerkship at the Supreme Court with former Chief Justice of Pakistan, Mr. Justice (r) Anwar Zaheer Jamali. He went for his Master’s in Law (LL.M.) to the University of California, Berkeley (U.C. Berkeley) as a Fulbright Scholar and rejoined the Firm on his return. Saad has extensive knowledge of the oil and gas sector and is well versed with the substantive and procedural aspects of accountability laws. He spearheads the Firm’s practice in commercial arbitration (domestic and international), the oil and gas sector, and NAB related matters. He has considerable experience and knowledge of constitutional litigation and is well-versed with other areas of law also. He appears before the High Courts and the lower courts and assists the Partners before the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

Email

saad.tahir@mintomirza.com

Barrister Muhammad Saram Israr

Admissions and Education

  • Advocate High Courts of Pakistan (2014)
  • Bar-at-Law (The Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn) (2014)
  • Civil and Commercial Mediator (Accredited by ADR Group UK) (2014)
  • University of London, LL.B. (Hons.) (2011)
  • Government College University, Lahore, B.A. (Hons.) (2009)

Academic Career

  • Adjunct Faculty, Pakistan College of Law (PCL), Lahore (2017 – present)

Profile

Muhammad Saram Israr is a Partner at Minto, Saram & Usman, an Advocate of the High Courts of Pakistan, and a civil and commercial mediator accredited in the UK. Called to the Bar at the Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn in 2014, he has extensive experience in constitutional, civil, commercial, tax, banking, administrative, service, labour, and regulatory litigation. He represents both public and private sector clients before the superior courts and regulatory authorities, and is regularly engaged by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to represent it in tax matters before the Lahore High Court. His litigation practice also encompasses corporate and financial disputes, company law, property matters, and white-collar criminal proceedings involving the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and other accountability forums.

Alongside litigation, Saram advises public and private sector institutions on developing institutional governance structures, legislative drafting, regulatory compliance, and dispute resolution. His governance and advisory work includes developing institutional policies and statutory frameworks for higher education institutions, covering service matters, institutional accountability, safeguarding, gender inclusivity, financial compliance, and risk management. More recently, he has been engaged under the FCDO-funded Evidence for Health (E4H) Programme to support the development of governance and institutional frameworks for Nursing Centres of Excellence in Lahore, Multan, and Rawalpindi.

Alongside his legal practice, Saram has taught labour law at the Pakistan College of Law since 2017. He has designed and delivered professional training for public sector universities on workplace harassment, applicable legal frameworks, institutional complaint mechanisms, inquiry procedures, and procedural safeguards under the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) Martha Farrell Gender Grant 2024. He has also been invited on multiple occasions by the Management and Professional Development Department (MPDD), Government of Punjab, to conduct training workshops for government officers and officials, drawing on his expertise in law, governance, and regulatory frameworks.

Email

saram.israr@msulegal.com

Muhammad Usman

Admissions and Education

  • Advocate High Courts of Pakistan (2017)
  • Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), B.A., LL.B. (2014)

Profile

Usman is a graduate of the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS). He practices in Civil, Commercial, and Constitutional litigation and corporate advisory. He is well versed with accountability laws and represents individual and corporate clients before the Special Courts as well as the High Courts. Usman has gained considerable knowledge of the financing sector having dealt with various contentious and non-contentious matters between financial institutions and borrowers. He has been involved alongside Bilal in a constitutional challenge to federal service laws allowing posting of federal employees on provincial posts. Usman has written exhaustive research reports on issues pertaining to Muslim Family Laws and Employment/Labour laws for various clients. Usman regularly drafts pleadings and assists in matters before the Supreme Court. Before joining law practice, Usman worked at the National Assembly of Pakistan on a European Union funded project for improving parliamentary performance.

Email

m.usman@msulegal.com

Mirza Mahmood Ahmad

Admissions

  • Advocate Supreme Court of Pakistan (2013)
  • Advocate High Courts of Pakistan (1993)

Education

  • University of Cambridge, LL.M. (1993)
  • Punjab University, B.A., LL.B. (1989)

Academic Career

  • Former Faculty, Quaid-e-Azam Law College, Lahore
  • Former Visiting Faculty, Rausing Executive Development Centre, Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS)
  • Former Visiting Faculty, Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS)

Profile

Mirza Mahmood Ahmad is regarded as a leading expert on capital markets and the oil and gas sector in Pakistan. He has represented and advised banks, brokerage houses, investment advisory entities and financial institutions. He has served as elected director on the boards of several listed companies, including the two state-owned gas transmission and distribution companies (SNGPL & SSGC) for multiple terms and has advised them on legal matters during this time. He played an active role in the introduction and use of LNG to supplement natural gas supply in the country. Mahmood regularly appears before the courts of Pakistan and has also represented various companies before regulatory bodies, including the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan, the Pakistan Stock Exchange, and the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority. He has taught at the Quaid e Azam Law College and the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) as visiting faculty. He has also lectured at the Rausing Executive Development Centre, LUMS and the Institute of Chartered Accountants, Pakistan in its directors training program.

Email

mahmood@mintomirza.com

Abid Hassan Minto

Admissions

  • Senior Advocate Supreme Court of Pakistan (1997)
  • Advocate Supreme Court of Pakistan (1963)
  • Advocate High Courts of Pakistan (1957)

Profile

Mr. Minto is a Senior Advocate of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, a former President of both the Supreme Court Bar Association and Lahore High Court Bar Association, and a member of the Pakistan Bar Council from 1966 to 1983. He has also served as Vice President of the International Association of Democratic Lawyers (1990-1995 – elected at its Barcelona Congress in 1990). Mr. Minto taught law at the Punjab University Law College from 1963 to 1983. Mr. Minto is regarded as an icon – one of Pakistan’s foremost jurists and constitutional law experts – with more than sixty years of experience in litigation. Although he has retired from active practice, Mr. Minto still renders amicus opinions for the superior courts when requested.

Bilal Hasan Minto

Admissions and Education

  • Advocate Supreme Court of Pakistan (2004)
  • Advocate High Courts of Pakistan (1991)
  • University of Cambridge, LL.M. (1991)
  • Punjab University, B.A., LL.B. (1989)

Academic Career

  • Adjunct Faculty, Lahore University of
    Management Sciences (LUMS) (2003-2015)

Profile

Bilal Hasan Minto has represented individual and institutional clients before various courts of law (including the Supreme Court of Pakistan, the provincial High Courts, civil and criminal courts of first instance, banking, labour and accountability courts). He has been involved (by himself, and alongside his father – Abid Hassan Minto) in seminal constitutional litigation in the country including matters relating to Right to Housing, Land Reforms and Electoral Reforms. He has been amicus curiae to the Supreme Court and the Lahore High Court in several cases relating to interpretation of the Constitution and other laws and has taught at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) for over twelve years.

Email

bilalminto@msulegal.com

Environment

We have been involved in litigation involving environmental laws before the superior courts as well as Environmental Protection Tribunals. In our commitment to public welfare, we – as public interest litigation – challenged several projects which had the potential to adversely affect the environment. Members of the erstwhile Minto & Mirza were involved in litigation before the Lahore High Court which called in question the Government’s measures to control the Lahore smog and mitigate its detrimental effects. These proceedings led to the constitution of a “Smog Commission.”

Civil Matters

We handle property related matters including inheritance, land ownership, rental and construction disputes. We cater to and assist with all types of investments, divestitures and on-going matters pertaining to real-estate development. We have represented, and advised, some of the largest real-estate developers in the country.

Labour and Service Laws

MSU has extensive experience in dealing with Labour and Service matters. We have represented clients in litigation arising from labour matters, and routinely advise our retainer clients on labour disputes including those related to Workers Welfare Fund (WWF), Employees Old Age Benefits, Workers’ Participation Fund (WPF), pension matters, trade unions and collective bargaining agent issues.

Alternate Dispute Resolution

We have represented a number of private and governmental bodies, including commercial banks, in arbitrations and mediations leading to settlement of some important longstanding commercial disputes. MSU’s partner Saram Israr is a UK Accredited Civil-Commercial Mediator. Bilal Hasan Minto has also been co-arbitrator in a commercial arbitration under the rules of ICC’s International Court of Arbitration.


Corporate Litigation and Advisory  

MSU provides litigious and non- litigious services to our clients in the corporate sector. We represent individual and corporate clients in litigation before the courts of Pakistan, including winding-up proceedings and protection of minority shareholders etc. We also represent clients before the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), and the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) in regulatory proceedings.

We are on retainer of several entities to whom we provide general advisory services on a wide array of matters and have also advised brokerage houses and other investment companies on financial regulations and their compliance. We have structured numerous financial and corporate transactions for our clients.

Intellectual Property

We take pride in our association with Audiri Vox, a renowned International Law Firm specializing in Intellectual Property matters. Audiri Vox has offices, or affiliations, in more than 50 countries and provides unparalleled legal and Intellectual Property services. In partnership with Audiri Vox, we have developed a team to handle all Intellectual Property related work.

We cater to applying for registration of Trademarks, Copyrights etc. and also represent clients in oppositions and objections.

Audiri Vox: https://audirivox.com/

 

Constitutional Litigation

We trace our tradition of high-quality Constitutional Litigation to our Senior Consultant, Mr. Abid Hassan Minto – recognised as one of the foremost Constitutional lawyers in the Country. Partners of the Firm, especially Bilal, have assisted Mr. Abid Hassan Minto in several seminal Constitutional cases before the superior courts.

Some of the matters in which we have  represented our clients in Constitutional Litigation before the High Courts, and the Supreme Court of Pakistan included questions relating to the criteria for appointments of Vice Chancellors in public sector universities, challenges to excess of jurisdiction by Federal Investigative Agency and other regulatory bodies, challenge to appointments of federal civil servants in provincial services, and many more matters involving enforcement of statutory provisions and protection of Constitutional Rights. We also represented the Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) in litigation involving a Constitutional challenge to its parent statute.

Over the years, our Senior Consultant and Bilal Hasan Minto, Partner, have been appointed amici curiae in a number of cases involving questions of Constitutional interpretation and enforcement of Fundamental Rights. They have assisted the superior courts on issues such as the status of electoral candidates holding dual citizenships, the role of prosecution and analysts’ reports in cases tried under the Control of Narcotic Substances Act, 1997, the role of Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in complaints received under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016 (PECA), limitations upon the Ordinance making power of the President, disqualification of candidates for general elections, and interpretation of election laws requiring minimum participation of women voters.

At MSU, we believe in standing for what is right, and in this spirit, we have been involved in a number of public interest cases before the superior courts of Pakistan of which some have been decided while others are pending. These include the “Land Reforms Case” (Workers Party Pakistan etc. v Federation of Pakistan etc.) in which the judgment in ‘Qazalbash Waqf Case’ is challenged on constitutional grounds – arguing that concentration of land holdings in the hands of the feudal elite violates the Constitution; the “Katchi Abadi Case” (Aasim Sajjad Akhtar and others v Federation of Pakistan) involving the right to housing and shelter guaranteed under the Constitution of Pakistan to the homeless/slum dwellers; the “Qazi Faez Isa Case” (PLD 2021 SC 1) in which the power, jurisdiction and procedure of the Supreme Judicial Council in the Reference filed against Mr. Justice Qazi Faez Isa were questioned; the “Electoral Reforms Case” (PLD 2012 SC 681) where a declaration from the Supreme Court of Pakistan was sought against electioneering practices involving wealth, power and influence.

Oil and Gas

At the erstwhile Minto & Mirza, we gained considerable experience in the Energy Sector, particularly, Oil and Gas representing the Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGC) and the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) before the superior courts and  the Ministry of Energy (formerly Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources), in arbitration. We have also advised companies working at various stages of the oil and gas supply chain including companies involved in exploration and production (upstream), processing (midstream) and distribution (downstream).

White Collar Crime

The partners have extensive experience of representing individuals facing inquires, investigations and trials of white-collar crimes, particularly those initiated by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

We have been engaged and have successfully defended clients obtaining relief in the form of pre-arrest, post-arrest and protective bails in proceedings under the NAB Ordinance.

In addition to representation in trial, we routinely advise clients during inquiry and investigation stages. Some of the clients we have represented in trial and/or advised in such matters include the former President Bank of Punjab, former Presidents of Sindh Bank Limited and Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited, former Managing Director Siemens Pakistan Limited, former Managing Directors SNGPL and SSGC, leading auditors, high profile private corporate executives and owners of brokerage houses.

Banking

We represent Banks as well as corporate clients/borrowers, in recovery proceedings arising out of defaulted loans under the Financial Institutions (Recovery of Finances) Ordinance, 2001. Additionally, we have rendered litigious and non-litigious services to the State Bank of Pakistan, Royal Bank of Scotland, American Express Bank, Union Bank, Prime Commercial Bank, Habib Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, United Bank, the Bank of Punjab, National Bank of Pakistan, Soneri Bank, Askari Bank, the erstwhile National Development Finance Corporation (NDFC) and Pakistan Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation Limited (PICIC). We have also negotiated settlements for several clients.

We have advised clients on structuring finance agreements and have also drafted standard agreements to be used by Banks in their lending arrangements. We have also drafted and negotiated tailor-made finance agreements, and their accompanying security documents, for Banks. 

In addition to recovery suits, we have also initiated, and defended, other related litigation on behalf of clients, including petitions under the Companies Act, and criminal proceedings under the Offences in Respect of Banks (Special Courts) Ordinance, 1984. We also conduct legal audit of contracts and security documents.