Maria Ahmad

Education

B.A., LL.B., Lahore University of Management Sciences, 2010
Master of Laws (LL.M. Legal Theory), Queen Mary University of London, 2017
Advocate High Court
Member of the Sindh Bar Council, Sindh High Court Bar Association, and Karachi Bar Association
Member, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators UK
Senior Legal Adviser – REMIT Pakistan, Adam Smith International, January 2026 – present

Experience

Maria Ahmad has been ranked as a “Leading Partner” in Dispute Resolution by the Legal 500 (2026) and “highly regarded” in Dispute Resolution by the Legal 500 (2025). She has been shortlisted by the Women in Business Law Awards for practice area awards in Commercial Arbitration (2021) and Litigation (2021).

Maria has worked on various corporate and commercial matters, both contentious and non-contentious, most notably in the aviation, construction and engineering, banking and finance, information technology, telecommunications, energy, infrastructure, and transport sectors. She holds extensive experience in litigation and dispute resolution and commercial arbitration; and appears in courts across Pakistan representing local and foreign clients, including many globally renowned brands, in complex commercial and constitutional matters. Maria also possesses a diverse and extensive understanding of constitutional, financial crime, and civil law matters from her experience with the offices of the Additional Attorney General for Pakistan and the Advocate General Sindh. Notable experience includes:

• Routinely acting as Pakistan counsel for the International Air Transport Association (IATA) in high-volume and high-value commercial litigation, arbitration, and regulatory matters across Pakistan;
• Routinely acting for Thai Airways and Etihad Airways for high-volume and high-value passenger and cargo claims in Pakistan (over 35 matters in the last decade) including claims arising out of the India-Pakistan conflict in 2019, and general corporate matters;
• Acting for Virgin Atlantic Airways and British Airways in passenger claims litigation in Pakistan;
• Acting as Pakistan counsel for Royal Jordanian plc in a dispute under LCIA arbitration arising out of a wet lease agreement for its aircraft; enforcement of the arbitral award under the New York Convention; and advising on dealing with the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority in relation to air transport and payment related matters;
• Providing Pakistan law expert advice to Clyde & Co for a global security company in an ICC arbitration;
• Acting for HongShan Capital in relation to its proposed offshore acquisition of a pharmaceutical asset including market authorization rights and trademarks;
• Acting for Automotive Engineering Corporation, a Chinese state-owned enterprise, in relation to a parent company guarantee for production of EV vehicles, issued on behalf of Mega Motor Company (Private) Limited;
• Advising A.P. Moller Maersk and its Pakistan entity, Maersk Pakistan (Private) Limited in relation to foreign exchange and company matters, land transactions for warehouse operations, and employment and labour matters for operations across Pakistan;
• Acting for and advising Hubbard SAS, a French broiler breeding company, in contractual disputes with a local poultry breeding company and United Insurance Company Limited including representation before the courts in Lahore;
• Acting for the Green Climate Fund (an operating entity of the UNFCC) on a transaction involving the provision of guarantees and grants to its Accredited Entity (JS Bank Limited) to finance renewable energy equipment in Pakistan;
• Advising American Express as part of a comprehensive global payments network regulations monitoring solution;
• Advising Airbus and its insurers, Allianz Global in relation to the Pakistan International Airlines crash in May 2020;
• Advising Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority in connection with the design and construction contracts for the Islamabad International Airport, and litigation relating to the construction of the Thar airport in Sindh and other matters;
• Acting for a leading event management company in procurement related disputes notably, litigation concerning the high-profile International Defence Exhibition and Seminar (IDEAS) in Pakistan and successfully defending the company in litigation relating to the Dubai World Expo 2020;
• Advising a leading network and solar power services provider, Information Systems Associates Limited (Comstar) in relation to telecommunication laws, regulatory disputes, intellectual property, and litigation in Pakistan;
• Routinely acting for and advising local and foreign banks in relation to litigation in banking courts and dispute resolution matters, including Hascol Petroleum Limited;
• Acting for Pakistan Petroleum Limited in a high-value construction dispute against Descon sought to be determined in domestic arbitration;
• Acting for Byco Petroleum (and its various subsidiaries) in relation to commercial litigation and dispute resolution matters in Pakistan;
• Acting for National Bank of Pakistan in its capacity as onshore security trustee in two of the ‘Super Six Wind Projects’ including advising on the transaction documents;
• Acting for MAL Pakistan Limited (Mobil) in sales tax litigation in Sindh;
• Acting for major leather manufacturing and exporting companies in commercial disputes and banking litigation in Pakistan;
• Advising Mastercard on electronic payment systems, e-banking regulations, and laws on electronic fund transfers.
• Advising Delivery Hero SE on the regulatory and licensing requirements and legal framework in relation to e-money and wallets for its food delivery platforms in Pakistan;
• Routinely advising on employment related matters, including for Cambridge University Press UK, Credit Suisse AG, Pakistan International Bulk Terminal Limited, DKT Pakistan and Delivery Hero SE;
• Advising the Hub Power Company Limited in relation to various commercial disputes;
• Acting for and advising ABB and its Pakistan subsidiaries in relation to litigation and dispute resolution matters, including negotiation of a multi-contract dispute and litigation arising out of FIDIC contracts with a Pakistani contractor;
• Advising Pakistan International Bulk Terminal Limited on contentious and non-contentious matters in relation to its bulk coal, cement and clinker terminal at Port Qasim;
• Acting for and advising various clients in relation to foreigners’ and citizenship laws, including successful representation in constitutional proceedings;
• Assisted the Additional Attorney General for Pakistan (2014 – 2018) on high profile judicial review matters concerning gas tariffs, infrastructure development laws, tax legislation, constitutional and financial crime matters;
• Assisted the Advocate General Sindh (2018 – 2022) on complex litigation involving tax and constitutional matters; notably in proceedings before the Supreme Court of Pakistan for the advisory reference filed by the President of Pakistan in relation to secrecy of voting in the Senate elections in 2021, and the vote of no confidence motion against the Prime Minister in 2022;
• Instituted a public interest petition in the Supreme Court of Pakistan challenging the amendments made by the 26th Constitutional Amendment in 2024 on grounds of inequality and discrimination;
• Advising Subway International B.V. on franchise related litigation and recovery claims;
• Advising CCI AG in Switzerland on nuclear liability laws and litigation matters in Pakistan;
• Advising an American manufacturer and Arizona based law firm on non-disclosure, non-compete agreements, and dispute resolution in Pakistan;
• Advising Uch-II Power (Private) Limited in relation to its capacity expansion project including reviewing project agreements and on closing matters;
• Advising Shell Pakistan Limited on its payment liabilities regarding oil refineries in Pakistan;
• Advising Bose Corporation in relation to recall of a multi-jurisdictional product;
• Acting for a consortium of Pakistani banks led by MCB Bank Limited in the financing of the 50MW wind power project of FFC Energy Limited;
• Acting as local counsel for Dechert LLP in connection with research for and review of World Compass documentation;
• Acting for International Finance Corporation in relation to the conversion of a C Loan into equity of International Steels Limited;
• Acting for Excelerate Energy in relation to its time charter party with Engro Elengy Terminal (Pakistan) Limited for the operation of a FSRU LNG regasification unit;
• Acting for Singapore Telecommunications in relation to a proposed merger with a major cellular mobile telecommunications provider, including conducting due diligence;
• Advising Baker & McKenzie for one of the world’s largest truck manufacturers, in relation to its global whistle-blowing system and compliance issues.

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