Sahar Iqbal
Partner
Akhund Forbes
More informationRenowned for its industry knowledge and experience in complex transactions, Akhund Forbes has been at the forefront of several recent high-value M&A transactions advising major asset management companies and sovereign wealth funds. Notable for its internationalist outlook, the team has recently opened an office in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Other areas of expertise include growth technology and the telecomms sector. Of late, the firm advised major conglomerates such as Arif Habib, Singaporean sovereign wealth fund MCB and Qist bazaar on a variety of transactions including mergers, asset management, and equity investment. The practice is co-led by industry veteran, Rabel Akhund and Sahar Iqbal, a noted expert in privatisation and other high-value corporate transactions.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'Rabel Akhund is very responsive and has a strong knowledge of the local laws of Pakistan, as well as a strong grasp of international best practice.'
- 'Experienced and efficient.'
- 'The team is dilligent and responsible.'
Key clients
- Edotco Group SDN Berhad
- Sumitomo Chemicals Pte Ltd
- Kelly Drye & Warren LLP
- Kojima Law Offices
- NBP Funds Management Limited
- MCB Arif Habib Savings and Investments Limited
- Applus
- Aisha Steel Mills Limited
- Arif Habib Corporation Limited
- Edotco Pakistan (Private) Limited
- Edotco Towers (Private) Limited
- Zhong Lun Law Firm
- Baker & McKenzie LLP
- Stanley Electronic CO., LTD
- Thai Stanley Electric Public Co., LTD.
- Facebook Inc./Meta Platforms, Inc.
- Privatisation Commission, Government of Pakistan
- China Power Hub Generation Company (Pvt.) Limited
- Jun He Law Offices
- Abraaj Pakistan Pvt Limited
- Gemini Office Holdings Limited
- Osborne Clarke
- Kumon Institute of Education Co., Ltd.
- DeHeng Law Offices
- VIKOR Healthcare (Pvt.) Limited
- Credit Suisse (Singapore)Limited
- Habib Rice Products Limited
- Kleiner Perkins
- Perkins Coie LLP
- Sequoia Capital
- Simmons & Simmons
- Karachi Down Syndrome Program
- Ericsson Pakistan Private Limited
- Unifonic
- Vezeeta.com
- Kearney
- Timwetech
- Stealth Startup
- Encore Pay
- Scilife Pvt Ltd
- NDC Group
- Tencent
- Advaya Legal
- Pay Core
- Mason Hayes & Curran LLP
- Dechert LLP
- Asia Impact Investment Fund II (Singapore) VCC
- GEAPP UK Limited
- Müller & Bleher Holding GmbH & Co. KG
- Marshall, Gerstein & BorunLLP
- Spotify
- Qist Bazaar
- Reckitt Benckiser Pakistan
- Sanofi Aventis Pakistan
- JS Bank Limited
- Advans Pakistan
- Sidley Austin
- Sofy AI
- Beerbabl & Co
- Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership
Work highlights
- Advised Qist Bazaar on Bank Alfalah’s equity investment in and embedded financing for Qist Bazaar which is a leading buy-now-pay-later company.
- Advising on the sale of a client's shares in one of Pakistan’s leading and listed AMCs to the other sponsor which is one of the top 5 commercial banks of Pakistan.
- Advised Credit Suisse and Fullerton Financial Holdings in relation to divestment.
Lawyers
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Rabel Akhund, Sahar Iqbal