Interview with: Yousaf Amanat, Managing Partner

Yousaf Amanat & Associates is a Pakistan-focused law firm advising international corporations, global law firms and investors on navigating complex legal, regulatory and commercial issues in Pakistan.

We act as a strategic partner for clients entering or operating in Pakistan—combining deep local insight with an international standard of legal service. A significant portion of our work originates from cross-border mandates, where we are trusted by leading global law firms and in-house legal teams to deliver clear, practical and commercially sound advice.

Our core strength lies in high-stakes advisory and contentious work, particularly in employment law, data protection, regulatory compliance, tax and complex litigation. We are frequently engaged on matters involving sensitive workforce issues, internal investigations, regulatory exposure and disputes requiring coordinated strategy across multiple areas of law.

The firm is particularly recognised for its work with multinational clients in sectors such as energy, technology, financial services, infrastructure and development projects. We regularly advise on Pakistan aspects of global transactions, internal compliance frameworks and risk assessments, ensuring alignment with both local laws and international standards.

With offices in Islamabad and Karachi, and reach across all provinces, we represent clients before all courts and key regulatory authorities in Pakistan. Our team combines litigation capability with advisory depth, allowing us to manage matters from risk identification through to dispute resolution.

Clients choose us for our responsiveness, commercial mindset and ability to simplify complex legal issues in a challenging regulatory environment. Whether acting alongside international counsel or directly for multinational clients, we position ourselves as a reliable, on-the-ground extension of our clients’ legal teams in Pakistan.

You have now been ranked Tier 1 by Legal 500 for seven consecutive years. What does that milestone mean to you and the firm?

It is deeply gratifying, but more than a personal achievement, it is a validation of the team’s consistency. Sustaining a Tier 1 ranking over seven years means clients and the research community keep seeing the same quality, year after year. What makes it meaningful is that it reflects not just litigation wins but the holistic approach we bring — employment, data protection, tax, arbitration — all under one roof for international clients navigating Pakistan.

The firm is a member of international law firm networks. How does that membership shape your practice?

These law firm networks give our clients something extraordinary: a seamless connection to world-class employment law advice across dozens of jurisdictions. For a GC at a multinational who needs to handle a workforce issue simultaneously in Pakistan, Germany and Japan, we are already plugged into those networks. It also keeps us sharp — being exposed to the highest standards of employment law practice globally pushes us to keep raising our own bar.

Pakistan’s data protection landscape is still evolving. Where do you see it heading, and how is the firm preparing clients for what is coming?

Pakistan has laws like PECA 2016 and the Removal and Blocking of Unlawful Online Content Rules 2021 that are already a significant concern for international clients, with government and security agencies heavily invested in both.  The draft data protection law, which we have benchmarked against the EU GDPR in a report for a German government-linked organisation, signals that Pakistan is moving toward a more formal regulatory regime. Our advice to clients is: do not wait for the law to be finalised. Build compliance architecture now, particularly around data localisation, consent mechanisms, and cross-border data transfer protocols.

You have acted as In house counsel to the Reko Diq Mining Project in the past and as we understand you continue to advice existing contracts on the Project— one of the largest foreign investment resolutions in Pakistan’s history. What does this mean for Pakistan’s investment climate?

The USD 11 billion dispute between Pakistan and Barrick Gold has been resolved, with the Supreme Court ratifying an agreement for the project’s restart. Barrick holds a 50% stake, with the remainder divided between state-owned entities and the province of Baluchistan.  The Tethyan Belt is one of the world’s richest gold and copper deposits, and this settlement sends a powerful signal to foreign investors that Pakistan can honour and resolve large-scale commitments. It is a watershed moment for the evolving mining industry of Pakistan and yes we are advising contractors working with RDMC on the Project.

You have advised global tech giants including TikTok, Warner Brothers, Ant Group and Epic Games. What is drawing the technology sector to Pakistan-specific legal advice?

Pakistan has a young, digitally connected population of over 230 million, making it an enormous market that technology companies cannot ignore. But operating here requires navigating PECA, the PTA’s content-blocking powers, employment regulations for remote and gig workers, and tax structures for digital services. We have advised across all of these. The technology sector comes to us because they need a firm that understands both the regulatory environment and the commercial urgency — they cannot afford to wait months for a legal opinion. Our advice to companies such as Warner Brothers, Disney, Tik Tok have been to carry out due diligence of the applicable laws of these companies in the Pakistani jurisdiction. This due diligence has included laws ranging between financial law, employment law, tax law, cyber laws, data protection to civil and criminal law.

The gig economy is booming in Pakistan. What legal risks should companies like Delivery Hero and Food Panda — which you have advised — be aware of?

Our work with Delivery Hero and Food Panda surfaced the unregulated phenomenon of algorithms actually controlling and employing workers.  Under Pakistan’s employment statutes, if a gig worker can demonstrate control, supervision and economic dependence, they may be classified as an employee — triggering entitlements to provident fund contributions, EOBI payments, and protections against arbitrary termination. Companies that treat their gig workers purely as independent contractors, managed by an algorithm, are sitting on significant legal exposure. We help them structure their relationships to manage that risk proactively.

The firm recently completed a substantial research project for the World Bank. What does that engagement say about the firm’s capabilities beyond pure litigation?

That project was a massive labour and employment study.  It reflects something we have always believed: the best law firms do not just fight cases, they help institutions understand the law in its fullest context. Research assignments for organisations like the World Bank require rigour, intellectual depth, and the ability to communicate complex legal analysis to non-lawyers. It is also a reminder that employment law in Pakistan is not just a courtroom matter — it has macroeconomic and development dimensions that the world is paying close attention to.

You have handled sensitive matters for ENI, Oxfam, Marriott, and Citigroup. How do you manage confidentiality and trust with such high-profile clients?

Confidentiality is the foundation of everything we do. Clients like ENI or Citigroup do not come to a firm in Pakistan and hand over sensitive internal matters unless they trust absolutely that discretion is guaranteed. Our practice is to keep matters strictly siloed within the handling team, with no cross-pollination unless the client explicitly authorises it. Trust, once given, must be repaid every single day — through responsiveness, through precision, and through never overpromising.

You were invited by the FATF to comment on Recommendation 25 for Pakistan. What was the significance of that engagement?

Being invited by FATF to comment on R25 for Pakistan  which relates to transparency of legal arrangements  placed us in a direct dialogue with one of the world’s most influential financial regulatory bodies. It was recognition that our expertise in compliance, corporate governance and financial law is of a standard that global regulators find credible. For our clients, particularly those in financial services and international trade, it reinforces that we are not just locally oriented lawyers — we understand and participate in the global regulatory conversation.

You teach law at the postgraduate level. How does that shape the way you run the firm and develop junior talent?

Teaching keeps you honest. When you have to explain a legal principle clearly enough for a postgraduate student to understand it, you cannot hide behind jargon or ambiguity. That discipline carries into the way I draft advice for clients — clarity, structure, and precision above all. Within the firm, we have formalised that culture. We participate in seminars and workshops on a pro bono basis, with the condition that organisers allow university students we teach to attend free of charge.  Growing the next generation of Pakistani lawyers is not a side project — it is part of what this firm stands for. Teaching also helps us stay up to date with the law as well as the technology in use. Working with students means you learn too from them.

The firm has a 100% success rate in courts and tribunals. How do you maintain that, and is it sustainable?

That record reflects a commitment to strategy from the very start of every matter — from working on the overall approach through to our presence in courts and tribunals.  We are very selective about which matters we accept. If we do not believe we can win, or if the client’s position is fundamentally untenable, we say so early rather than take a fee and fight a losing battle. Sustainability comes from that discipline — and from thorough preparation. We do not walk into a courtroom hoping for a good day. We walk in knowing exactly what the outcome will be. So yes being fully versed with the case we can predict the outcome before we try it and that I believe gives us knowledge of the outcome and in that sense the 100% success rate is sustainable.

 

Is the firm able to cover all of Pakistan?

Yes with offices in Islamabad and Karachi we are able to cover all of Pakistan. For our work in Reko Diq we also employ local resources within Balochistan which gives us an edge over our competition.