MASOOD AZIZ & ASSOCIATES - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Senior Consultant Customs
Mr. Butt retired as Deputy Collector of Customs in 2008. During his public service from 1972 to 2008, he was widely regarded as a highly competent and knowledgeable officer of Customs. He worked in PRAL as a Customs Consultant between 2008 to 2013. He joined Masood Aziz & Associates in 2013.
Mr Butt has vast experience in the realm of classification of goods (particularly chemicals and chemical preparations). He had represented Pakistan in the Harmonized System Committee meetings at World Customs Organization, Brussels. During his tenure as Principal Appraiser, Assistant and Deputy Collector in the Appraisement Collectorate, he was actively associated with the Classification Centre of the Appraisement Collectorate to resolve classification disputes that arose in Customs Collectorates all across Pakistan. He has vast hands-on experience of assessments of imported goods. He handled legal matters of the Appraisement Collectorate for over five years before various judicial fora including the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
Mr. Butt's work experience at Masood Aziz & Associates includes:
Litigation matters before the Adjudication Collectorates, Collectorate of Appeals and Customs Appellate Tribunals.
The cases of Classification of goods before the PCT Classification Committee Custom House, Karachi.
The Valuation disputes including filing of Revision Petition against Valuation Rulings issued by the Director of Valuation.
Licensing matters before the licensing authority of Custom House and its subsequent appeal before the Chief Collector.
Meetings with FBR officials at Karachi and Islamabad on matters requiring their necessary intervention.
Issues pertaining to Manufacturing Bond / Export Oriented Units.
Transit Trade cases.
Mr. Umair Alam has recently joined the team at Masood Aziz & Associates having over a decade of legal experience at top-tier law firms dealing with contentious and non-contentious corporate/commercial matters. He has graduated with an LLB from Hull (UK), and has an LLM in International Commercial Law from Newcastle (UK). He was called to the Bar of England & Wales in 2011.
During his practice he has focused on mergers & acquisitions (including takeover laws, competition laws and foreign exchange laws), legal due diligence, capital markets, corporate restructuring, banking, corporate governance and compliance related laws as well as advising on shareholder & boardroom strategies. He regularly provides general corporate advice to various corporate clients. He has extensive experience advising on various specific regulatory regimes including matters pertaining to the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan, State Bank of Pakistan, and Competition Commission of Pakistan.
During his time at Haidermota & Co., he has advised various local and international companies, financial institutions and sponsors on the largest and most complex transactions in Pakistan, ranging from acquisition of listed companies, public offerings, public takeovers, mergers, strategic alliances, joint ventures and corporate restructuring. He is capable of handling transactions from early negotiations/due diligence to closing mechanics and consummation. He has solid experience of drafting/reviewing and negotiating various documents which may be required including inter alia term sheets, exclusivity agreements, memorandums of understanding, escrow agreements, share purchase agreements, shareholder agreements, applications for regulatory approvals, and dealing with the closing and post-closing formalities of a merger and acquisition deal.
Job Titles:
- Senior Consultant Customs and Advocate High Court
Mr. Younus Rao works on various Customs related matters and routinely appears in the Customs Appellate Tribunal, at Collectorates of Adjudication and Appeals, Directorate of Customs Valuation. He represents clients before the Sindh High Court in Constitutional Petitions (CPs) and Special Customs Reference Applications (SCRA). He has extensive experience of drafting replies to the Audit Observations and Show-Cause Notices. He excels in drafting appeals against the orders passed by the Customs adjudication officers and Collector (Appeals). He also drafts Writ Petitions and Special Customs Reference Applications on behalf of the clients for filing before the High Courts. He excels at drafting legal opinions for the firm's clients and provides legal advice on any query received from them pertaining to indirect tax laws.
His work experience includes:
Conducting legal due diligence for one of the renowned company of the country to ensure that their import documentation was in conformity with the legal requirements of the Customs law and procedure.
Job Titles:
- Senior Consultant Sales Tax and Advocate High Court
Mr. Nasir Ahmad Malik works on various Sales Tax related matters and routinely appears in the Sindh High Court, Appellate Tribunal IR, Customs Appellate Tribunal & Appellate Tribunal Sindh Revenue Board (SRB). He Also appears in Adjudication and Appeals matters before the Quasi-Judicial authorities of FBR and SRB. He has extensive experience in drafting replies to the Audit Observations, Show-Cause Notices besides drafting of appeals against the orders passed by the Quasi-Judicial fora. He also provides legal opinion on issues raised by the clients regarding Sales Tax Act, 1990 and the Sindh Sales Tax on Services Act, 2011.
He worked as Project Consultant in Sindh Government's project funded by the World Bank on Analysis of Provincial Taxes in Sindh and Baluchistan wherein he performed the following activities:
Analyzed provincial Sales Tax regulations of Sindh and Baluchistan
Provided legal assistance in drafting of Baluchistan Sales Tax on Services Act
Mr. Malik's work experience includes:
Conducting Sales Tax Audit of multinational companies and large business houses to pin point any discrepancy in following Sales Tax laws and procedures and to avoid any audit objections by the Sales Tax department.
Job Titles:
- Senior Consultant and Advocate High Court
Mr. Kasi retired as Collector Customs, Custom House, Karachi in 2001. He is enrolled to practice as an Advocate in the High Courts of Pakistan.
He joined Masood Aziz & Associates in 2001. His hands on experience of Customs, Sales Tax and Federal Excise laws has facilitated the firm in effectivelyhandling disputed matters referred by clients and in establishing legal and practical remedies available to clients for obtaining quick relief at various administrative and judicial fora.
His work experience at Masood Aziz and Associates includes:
Providing legal consultancy to a large number of corporate clients in all matters pertaining to Custom, Sales Tax, Federal Excise and WTO related matters.
Litigation before the Adjudication Collectorates and Customs Appellate Tribunals.
Filing of Suits, Constitutional Petitions, Special Customs and Sales Tax Reference Applications before the High Courts.
Valuation disputes including filing of Revision Petition against Valuation Rulings issued by the Director of Valuation and subsequently taking up the same with the Tribunals as well as High Courts.
Meetings with FBR officials at Karachi and Islamabad on matters requiring their necessary intervention.
Taking up matters of maladministration against tax authorities on behalf of the clients to obtain relief from the Federal Tax Ombudsman (FTO).
Mr. Kasi has regularly participated and given lectures in workshops and seminars arranged by the firm for its corporate clients on the following topics:
Customs law and rules for levy of duty on imports and exports.
Classification and valuations of goods under the Customs Act, 1969.
Sales tax laws and procedure.
Various concessionary schemes notified by FBR so that clients are informed about all exemptions available to them.
WTO Agreements and their implications for Pakistani importer / exporter.
WTO Valuation Agreement as implemented in Pakistan.
Export related incentives notified by the Government of Pakistan including the DTRE scheme.
Mr. Aziz graduated with an LL.B. (Hons) Degree from King's College London in 2009 and subsequently was called to the Bar by the Hon'ble Society of Lincoln's Inn. He is enrolled to practice in the High Courts of Pakistan
He has worked in reputable and leading law firm's in Pakistan including Fazleghani Advocates and Liaquat Merchant Associates and has over a decade of legal experience.