Ali Mehdi

Syed Muhammad Ali Mehdi graduated with an LLB (Hons.) degree from the University of London in 2009 and went on to obtain an LLM in International Commercial Law from Newcastle, UK in 2010. He joined the firm in the year 2013 and is presently a Senior Associate. Before joining Khalid Anwer & Co., he worked as an associate in the chambers of Mr. Justice Faisal Kamal Alam and Mr. Justice Arshad Hussain Khan prior to when they became Hon’ble Judges of the High Court of Sindh.

He regularly appears before the High Courts of Pakistan and also assists various partners of the firm in a range of cases before the High Courts of Pakistan as well as the Supreme Court of Pakistan. He also frequently represents clients before the District & Sessions Court, Banking Courts, Appellate Tribunal Inland Revenue, Customs Tribunal and the Environmental Protection Tribunal. He has vast experience in commercial, civil and constitutional litigation. In particular, he has vast experience in relation to matters pertaining to Banking and Finance, White-Collar Crimes and Taxation.

Mr. Mehdi is presently representing some of the leading Banks of Pakistan in a number of recovery suits pertaining to the Banking Jurisdiction of the Hon’ble High Court of Sindh. Recently, he successfully negotiated a settlement on behalf of MCB Bank Ltd. which resulted in MCB Bank Ltd. recovering over Rs. 1 Billion from one of the largest ship breakers in Pakistan.

Furthermore, Mr. Mehdi only recently successfully challenged an inquiry and investigation which was being carried out by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) against Allied Bank Ltd. as well as its senior officials and his efforts resulted in the FIA withdrawing its inquiry and investigation. Mr. Mehdi is presently representing a leading textile company and its directors before the High Court of Sindh to challenge the inquiry and investigation being conducted by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) which is also presently pending before the High Court.

The High Court of Sindh recently allowed Mr. Mehdi’s Appeal in which he was representing a prominent Chartered Accountant against whom the Institute of Chartered Accountants had passed an adverse decision whereby he had been reprimanded by name. The High Court of Sindh, while allowing the Appeal, held that the adverse decision to reprimand the Chartered Accountant by name was illegal.

Mr. Mehdi has also recently filed High Court Appeals on behalf of leading textile, general and power companies of Pakistan before the Division Bench of the High Court of Sindh against a Judgment of a learned Single Judge of the same Court which effectively permitted the Sui Southern Gas Company Ltd. (SSGC) and Sui Northern Gas Company Ltd. (SNGPL) to disconnect the supply of gas to their manufacturing facilities on the basis of a Gas Moratorium imposed by the Government of Pakistan. Mr. Mehdi has obtained an order for his clients whereby the aforesaid Judgment has been suspended by the Division Bench of the High Court. Furthermore, Mr. Mehdi also recently obtained relief for a number of textile and power companies against Sui Southern Gas Company Ltd. in a similar appeal filed on behalf of certain renowned textile companies to challenge the imposition of a substantially high rate of gas being applied on their bills. He has successfully obtained an order restraining SSGC and SNGPL from imposing a higher rate of gas.