Senior Associate, Legal Analysis - REMIT Programme

SEZ Incentives Phase Out & Transition Plan – Senior Associate, Legal Analysis

Background

The Revenue Mobilisation, Investment and Trade (REMIT) Programme, funded by the UK's Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and implemented by Adam Smith International (ASI), provides technical assistance to the Government of Pakistan to improve the business environment, attract investment, and support sustainable economic growth.

Pakistan's Special Economic Zones (SEZs) framework is governed through a complex legal and regulatory architecture spanning federal and provincial legislation, rules, notifications, contractual arrangements, and administrative instruments. As part of Pakistan's commitments under the IMF programme, the Government is undertaking a comprehensive SEZ Phase-Out Implementation Plan to transition away from profit-based incentives toward a rules-based, fiscally sustainable framework anchored in cost- and performance-based facilitation.

The implementation of this transition requires a detailed review of the legal and contractual framework governing SEZs to assess the implications of proposed reforms, identify legal risks and constraints, and ensure compliance with domestic laws, investor protections, and existing contractual commitments. This includes analysing the legal basis of existing incentives, grandfathering provisions, contractual obligations, and the legislative changes required to support the transition process.

As part of this effort, REMIT seeks to engage a Senior Associate – Legal Analysis to support the legal and regulatory assessment of Pakistan's SEZ regime and contribute to the development of practical and implementable legal reform recommendations.

Job Summary

The objective of the assignment is to provide legal and regulatory analysis to support the Government of Pakistan in assessing the legal implications of the SEZ Phase Out and Transition Plan, with a particular focus on Phase A (Planning and Assessment) of the IMF-mandated reform programme.

The Senior Associate – Legal Analysis will support the Board of Investment (BoI), the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), and the broader technical team by reviewing the legal and contractual framework governing SEZs, identifying legal constraints and reform requirements, and assessing the implications of proposed policy changes. The Associate will analyse federal and provincial legislation, rules, regulations, contracts, and incentive arrangements to support the development of a legally sound and implementable transition framework.

The Associate will work closely with the SEZ Policy & Governance Lead, Institutional Analysis Expert, Fiscal & Incentives Expert, and other members of the technical team to ensure that proposed reforms are legally robust, practical, and aligned with Pakistan's broader investment and economic reform objectives.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Senior Associate – Legal Analysis will be responsible for supporting the legal assessment component of the SEZ Phase-Out and Transition Plan.

Key duties and responsibilities include

• Review federal and provincial SEZ legislation, regulations, rules, notifications, and related legal instruments governing SEZs.
• Analyse the legal basis of existing fiscal and non-fiscal incentives provided under the SEZ framework.
• Assess legal implications associated with the transition from profit-based incentives to cost and performance-based facilitation mechanisms.
• Review investor agreements, developer agreements, leases, licences, and other contractual arrangements to identify legal obligations and potential reform constraints.
• Analyse grandfathering provisions, contractual protections, and legal commitments relevant to the phase-out of existing incentives.
• Identify legal risks, implementation challenges, and areas requiring legislative, regulatory, or administrative reform.
• Support the preparation of the SEZ Transition Concept Note by providing legal analysis and recommendations.
• Conduct legal research on international good practices relating to SEZ reform, investment facilitation, and incentive transition frameworks.
• Participate in consultations and engagement sessions with federal and provincial governments, legal experts, SEZ authorities, developers, enterprises, and other stakeholders.
• Assist in developing legal reform options and implementation pathways to support the transition framework.
• Prepare legal assessment reports, briefing notes, presentations, and supporting documentation for decision-makers.
• Provide technical quality assurance for legal and regulatory deliverables and ensure consistency with broader policy, institutional, and fiscal reform recommendations.
• Work closely with other technical experts and the REMIT team to ensure alignment between legal, institutional, fiscal, and policy reform proposals.