Profile

Malik Ahsan Mehmood started his career as a lawyer in 2005, assisting Mr. S. M. Zafar, in various commercial and constitutional cases, at one of the most well reputed law firms in Lahore. In 2006, Ahsan joined Raja Mohammed Akram & Co. as an associate and was made partner in 2018. He has been a practising litigator for 15 years and has appeared before a variety of fora ranging from the Lahore High Court, High Court of Sindh, Peshawar High Court, Islamabad High Court to various tribunals including Customs Appellate Tribunal, Inland Revenue Appellate Tribunal and the Environmental Tribunal. He has been serving as the Federal Tax Ombudsman since 2008.

Ahsan handles a wide range of legal disputes at the firm for corporate and commercial clients, as well as high net worth individuals. His area of expertise includes customs and taxation laws, constitutional law, real estate and property law, labour law, family law, and intellectual property law. He has specialized knowledge of the textile, oil and gas, food, steel and cement sectors. Ahsan has recently represented a leading cement manufacturer challenging the levy imposed by NEPRA under the NEPRA Act 1997 at the Lahore High Court.

Ahsan regularly advises various local and international EPC contractors and equipment suppliers in matters pertaining to taxation disputes arising from power generation and other infrastructure projects. He has also assisted Mr. Salman Akram Raja, Advocate Supreme Court in various important constitutional cases including Imran Ahmad Khan Niazi v Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif (2017 PLD 265 SC) and the constitutional challenge made to National Reconciliation Ordinance 2007.

Experience

• Successfully represented a leading steel melting unit before the Lahore High Court in proceedings challenging the vires of Rules 58H (First Proviso) 58Ha, 58Hb and 58MC of the Sales Tax Special Procedure Rules, 2007 and Sales Tax General Order No.1 of 2013 (Almoiz Industries Limited v Federation of Pakistan ((2019) 119 TAX 106)
• Successfully represented a leading beverage manufacturer and various other textile units before the Lahore High Court in proceedings relating to the authority and power of the Commissioners of Inland Revenue to delegate their powers and functions to subordinates for initiation of proceedings (Hamza Nasir Wires v Federation of Pakistan PTCL 2018 CL. 182)
• Advising various Chinese EPC contractors and sub-contractors in relation to multiple tax disputes arising from EPC contracts for the construction and development of power generation facilities such as Sahiwal Coal Power Project and Haveli Bahadur Shah Power Plant
• Successfully represented a leading cement manufacturer and various other units before the Lahore High Court in proceedings relating to the levy of surcharges by NEPRA and the vires of Section 31(5) of NEPRA Act, 1997 (Flying Cement Company Limited v Federation of Pakistan 2015 PTD 1945)
• Acted in proceedings for various real estate developers in a number of cases before the Lahore High Court in a challenge made to the amendments of the Punjab Revenue Authority Act, 2012 in 2016 (Nishat Hotel and Properties v Province of Punjab 2019 PTD 2050)
• Represented a leading sugar manufacturing unit before the Lahore High Court in proceedings relating to and originating under The Punjab Industries (Control on Establishment and Enlargement) Ordinance, 1963 (Chaudhary Sugar Mills v Province of Punjab PLD 2017 Lahore 848)
• Successfully represented a major automobile company, a pharmaceutical company and others before the Lahore High Court in a successful challenge made to the demand of Punjab Sales Tax on Services by the Punjab Revenue Authority (The Institute of Architects, Pakistan v Province of Punjab 2016 PTD 1103)
• Acted on behalf of a feed importing company before the Lahore High Court in proceedings relating to determination of customs value under the provisions of Customs Act, 1969 (Lahore Feeds Limited v Customs Sales Tax and Central Excise 2015 PTD 1286)
• Successfully represented Pepsi Cola International (Pvt) Limited before the Lahore High Court in proceedings arising out of an arbitration award
• Successfully represented Asian Food Industries Limited, a confectionary and biscuit manufacturer and exporter before the Customs Appellate Tribunal as well as Peshawar High Court in a major issue relating to the claim of rebate on the export of bubble gum
• Successfully represented various cement manufacturing companies before the Lahore High Court in proceedings relating to the levy and demand of marking fee by Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority under the provisions of Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Act, 1996
• Successfully represented Senator Mohsin Leghari before the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) against rejection of nomination papers of a senate candidate