Minority Matters: Protecting Minority Shareholders in Pakistan’s Corporate Landscape

This essay examines how Pakistani corporate law safeguards minority shareholders,focusing on remedies under the Companies Act 2017 1 and SECP regulations. It notes that onlyshareholders holding at least 10% of a company’s capital can petition for relief (to the SECPunder s.256 or to courts under s.286) 2 . Court cases show that judges apply strict unfair-prejudice standards and often dismiss minority claims if technical requirements are unmet. Theanalysis finds that despite formal protections, practical safeguards remain weak; expertsrecommend reforms (such as codifying derivative suits and lowering share thresholds) tostrengthen minority rights.