State Immunity Ordinance, 1981

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THE STATE IMMUNITY ORDINANCE, 1981 
 
 
 
 
 
 
CONTENTS 
 
1. Short title, extent and commencement. 
 
2. Interpretation. 
IMMUNITY FROM JURISDICTION 
 
3. General immunity from jurisdiction 
 
 EXCEPTIONS FROM IMMUNITY 
 
4. Submission to jurisdiction. 
 
5. Commercial transactions and contracts to be performed in Pakistan. 
 
6. Contracts of employment. 
 
7. Ownership, possession and use of property. 
  
8. Patents, trade marks, etc. 
 
9. Membership of bodies corporate, etc. 
 
10. Arbitrations. 
 
11. Ships used for commercial purposes. 
 
12. Value added tax, customs-duties, etc. 
 
PROCEDURE 
 
13. Service of process and judgment in default of appearance. 
 
14. Other procedural privileges. 
 
SUPPLEMENTARY PROVISIONS 
 
15. States entitled to immunities and privileges. 
 
16. Restriction and extension of immunities and privileges. 

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17. Savings, etc. 
 
18. Proof as to certain matters. 
 
19. Repeal. 
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THE STATE IMMUNITY ORDINANCE, 1981 
 
ORDINANCE VI OF 1981 
 
[11th March, 1981] 
 
An Ordinance to amend and consolidate the law relating to the immunity of States from the 
jurisdiction of Courts. 
 
WHEREAS it is expedient to amend and consolidate the law relating to the immunity of 
States from the jurisdiction of Courts; 
 
AND WHEREAS the President is satisfied that circumstances exist which render it 
necessary to take immediate action; 
 
NOW, THEREFORE, in pursuance of the Proclamation of the fifth day of July, 1977, read 
with the Laws (Continuance in Force) Order, 1977 (C. M. L. A. Order No. 1 of 1977), and in 
exercise of all powers enabling him in that behalf, the President is pleased to make and promulgate 
the following Ordinance :___ 
 
1. Short title, extent and commencement.⸻(1) This Ordinance may be called the State 
Immunity Ordinance, 1981. 
 
(2) It extends to the whole of Pakistan. 
 
(3) It shall come into force at once. 
 
2. Interpretation.___ In this Ordinance, “Court” includes any tribunal or body exercising 
judicial functions. 
IMMUNITY FROM JURISDICTION 
 
 3. General immunity from jurisdiction.___ (1) A State is immune from the jurisdiction of 
the Courts of Pakistan except as hereinafter provided. 
 
 (2) A Court shall give effect to the immunity conferred by sub-section (1) even if the State 
does not appear in the proceedings in question. 
 
EXCEPTIONS FROM IMMUNITY 
 
4. Submission to jurisdiction.___(1) A State is not immune as respects proceedings in 
respect of which it has submitted to jurisdiction. 
 
(2) A State may submit to jurisdiction after the dispute giving rise to the proceedings has 
arisen or by a prior agreement; but a provision in any agreement that it is to be governed by the law 
of Pakistan shall not be deemed to be a submission. 
 
Explanation.___ In this sub-section and in sub-section (3) of section 14, “agreement” includes 
a treaty, convention or other international agreement. 
 
(3) A State shall be deemed to have submitted ___ 
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(a)  if it has instituted the proceedings; or 
 
(b)  subject to sub-section (4) it has intervened or taken any step in the 
proceedings. 
 
 (4) Clause (b) of sub-section (3) does not apply— 
 
  (a)  to intervention or any step taken for the purpose only of- 
 
   (i)  claiming immunity; or 
 
(ii)  asserting an interest in property in circumstances such that the State 
would have been entitled to immunity if the proceedings had been 
brought against it; or 
 
(b)  to any step taken by the State in ignorance of the facts entitling it to immunity 
if those facts could not reasonably have been ascertained and immunity is 
claimed as soon as reasonably practicable. 
 
(5) A submission in respect of any proceedings extends to any appears but not to any counter 
claim unless it arises out of the same legal relationship or facts as the claim. 
 
(6) The head of a State’s diplomatic mission in Pakistan, or the person for the time being 
performing his functions, shall be deemed to have authority to submit on behalf of the State in 
respect of any proceedings; and any person who has entered into a contract on behalf of and with the 
authority of a State shall be deemed to have authority to submit on its behalf in respect of pro-
ceedings arising out of the contract. 
 
5. Commercial transactions and contracts to be performed in Pakistan.___ (1) A State is 
not immune as respects proceedings relating to___ 
 
(a)  a commercial transaction entered into by the State; or 
 
(b)  an obligation of the State which by virtue of a contract, which may or may not 
be a commercial transaction, falls to be performed wholly or partly in 
Pakistan. 
 
(2) Sub-section (1) does not apply to a contract of employment between a State and an 
individual or if the parties to the dispute are States or have otherwise agreed in writing; and clause 
(b) of that subsection does not apply if the contract, not being a commercial transaction, was made in 
the territory of the State concerned and the obligation in question is governed by its administrative 
law. 
 
(3) In this section “commercial transaction” means___ 
 
(a)  any contract for the supply of goods or services; 
 
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(b)  any loan or other transaction for the provision of finance and any guarantee or 
indemnity in respect of any such transaction or of any other financial 
obligation; and 
 
(c)  any other transaction or activity, whether of a commercial, industrial financial, 
professional or other similar character, into which a State enters or in which it 
engages otherwise than in the exercise of its sovereign authority. 
 
6. Contracts of employment.___(1) A State is not immune as respects proceedings relating to 
a contract of employment between a State and an individual where the contract was made, or the 
work is to be wholly or partly performed in Pakistan; 
 
Explanation.___ In this subsection, “proceedings relating to a contract of employment” 
includes proceedings between the parties to such a contract in respect of any statutory rights or 
duties to which they are entitled or subject as employer or employee. 
 
(2) Subject to sub-sections (3) and (4), sub-section (1) does not apply if___ 
 
(a)  at the time when the proceedings are brought the individual is a national of the 
State concerned; or 
 
(b)  at the time when the contract was made the individual was neither a citizen of 
Pakistan nor habitually resident in Pakistan; or 
 
(c)  the parties to the contract have otherwise agreed in writing. 
 
(3) Where the work is for an office, agency or establishment maintained by the State in 
Pakistan for commercial purposes, clauses (a) and (b) of sub-section (2) do not exclude the 
application of sub-section (1) unless the individual was, at the time when the contract was made, 
habitually resident in that State. 
 
(4) Clause (c) of sub-section (2) does not exclude the application of sub-section (1) where the 
law of Pakistan requires the proceedings to be brought before a Court in Pakistan. 
 
7. Ownership, possession and use of property.___(1) A State is not immune as respects 
proceedings relating to___ 
 
(a)  any interest of the State in, or its possession or use of, immovable property in 
Pakistan; or 
 
(b)  any obligation of the State arising out of its interest in, or its possession or use 
of, any such property. 
 
(2) A State is not immune as respects proceedings relating to any interest of the State in 
movable or immovable property, being an interest arising by way of succession, gift or bona 
vacantia. 
 
(3) The fact that a State has or claims an interest in any property shall not preclude any Court 
from exercising in respect of such property any Jurisdiction relating to the estates of deceased 
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persons or persons of unsound mind or to insolvency, the winding up of companies or the 
administration of trusts. 
 
(4) A Court may entertain proceedings against a person other than a State notwithstanding 
that the proceedings relate to property___ 
 
(a)  which is in the possession of a State; or 
 
(b)  in which a State claims an interest, if the State would not have been immune 
had the proceedings been brought against it or, in a case referred to in clause 
(b), if the claim is neither admitted nor supported by prima facie evidence. 
 
8. Patents, trade marks, etc. A State is not immune as respects proceedings relating to___ 
 
(a)  any patent, trade mark, design or plant breeders’ rights belonging to State 
which are registered or protected in Pakistan or for which the state has applied 
in Pakistan; 
 
(b)  an alleged infringement by the State in Pakistan of any patent, trade mark, 
design, plant breeders’ rights or copyrights ; or 
 
(c)  the right to use a trade or business name in Pakistan. 
 
9. Membership of bodies corporate, etc.___(1) A State is not immune as respects 
proceedings relating to its membership of a body corporate, an unincorporated body or a partnership 
which___ 
 
(a)  has members other than States; and 
 
(b)  is incorporated or constituted under the law of Pakistan or is controlled from, 
or has its principal place of business in, Pakistan, being proceedings arising 
between the State and the body or its other members or, as the case may be, 
between the State and the other partners. 
 
(2) Sub-section (1) does not apply if provision to the contrary has been made by an 
agreement in writing between the parties to the dispute or by the constitution or other instrument 
establishing or regulating the body or partnership in question. 
 
10. Arbitrations.___(1) Where a State has agreed in writing to submit a dispute which has 
arisen, or may arise, to arbitration, the State is not immune as respects proceedings in the courts of 
Pakistan which relate to the arbitration. 
 
(2) Sub-section (1) has effect subject to the provisions of the arbitration agreement and does 
not apply to an arbitration agreement between States. 
 
11. Ships used for commercial purposes.___ (1) The succeeding provisions of this section 
apply to___ 
 
(a)  Admiralty proceedings; and 
 
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(b)  proceedings on any claim which could be made the subject of Admiralty 
proceedings. 
 
(2) A State is not immune as respects___ 
 
(a)  an action in rem against a ship belonging to it; or 
 
(b)  an action in personam for enforcing a claim in connection with such a ship; 
 
if, at the time when the cause of action arose, the ship was in use or intended 
for use for commercial purposes. 
 
(3) Where an action in rem is brought against a ship belonging to a State for enforcing a 
claim in connection with another ship belonging to that State, clause (a) of sub-section (2) does not 
apply as respects the first-mentioned ship unless, at the time when the cause of action relating to the 
other ship arose, both ships were in use or intended for use for commercial purposes. 
 
(4) A State is not immune as respects,___ 
 
(a) an action in rem against a cargo belonging to that State if both the cargo and 
the ship carrying it were, at the time when the cause of action arose, in use or 
intended for use for commercial purposes; .or 
 
(b)  an action in personam for enforcing a claim in connection with such a cargo if 
the ship carrying it was then in use or intended for use as aforesaid. 
 
 (5)  in the foregoing provisions references to a ship or cargo belonging to a State include 
references to a ship or cargo in its possession or control or in which it claims an interest; and, subject 
to sub-section (4), sub-section (2) applies to property other than a ship as it applies to a ship. 
 
 (6)  Sections 5 and 6 do not apply to proceedings of the nature mentioned in sub-section 
(1) if the State in question is a party to the Brussels Convention and the claim relates to the operation 
of a ship owned or operated by that State, the carriage of cargo or passengers on any such ship or the 
carriage of cargo owned by that State on any other ship. 
 
Explanation.___ In this section, “Brussels Convention” means the International Convention 
for the Unification of Certain Rules Concerning the Immunity of State-owned Ships signed in 
Brussels on the tenth day of April 1926, and “ship” includes hovercraft. 
 
12. Value added tax, customs-duties, etc. A State is not immune as respects proceedings 
relating to its liability for___ 
 
(a)  value added tax, any duty of customs or excise or any agricultural levy; or 
 
(b)  rates in respect of premises occupied by it for commercial purposes. 
 
PROCEDURE 
 
13. Service of process and judgment in default of appearance.___ (1) Any notice or other 
document required to be served for instituting proceedings against a State shall be served by being 
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transmitted through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or Pakistan to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of 
the State and service shall be deemed to have been effected when the notice or document is received 
at the latter Ministry. 
 
(2) Any proceedings in Court shall not commence earlier than two months after the date on 
which the notice or document is received as aforesaid. 
 
(3) A State which appears in proceedings cannot thereafter object that sub-section (1) has not 
been complied with as respects those proceedings. 
 
(4) No judgment in default of appearance shall be given against a State except on proof that 
sub-section (1) has been complied with and that the time for the commencement of proceedings 
specified in sub-section (2) has elapsed. 
 
(5) A copy of any judgment given against a State in default of' appearance shall be 
transmitted through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of 
the State and the time for applying to have the judgment set aside shall begin to run two months after 
the date on which the copy of the judgment is received at the latter Ministry. 
 
(6) Sub-section (1) does not prevent the service of a notice or other document in any manner 
to which the State agreed and sub-sections (2) and (4) do dot apply where service is effected in any 
such manner. 
 
(7) The preceding provisions of this section shall not be construed as applying to proceedings 
against the State by way of a counter-claim or to an action in rem. 
 
14. Other procedural privileges.___(1) No penalty by way of committal to prison or fine 
shall be imposed in respect of any failure or refusal by or on behalf of a State to disclose or produce 
any document or information for the purposes of proceedings to which it is a party. 
 
(2) Subject to sub-sections (3) and (4), ___ 
 
(a)  relief shall not be given against a State by way of injunction or order for 
specific performance or for the recovery of land or other property; and 
 
(b)  the property of a State, not being property which is for the time being in use or 
intended for use for commercial purposes, shall not be subject to any process 
for the enforcement of a judgment or arbitration award or, in an action in rem, 
for its arrest, detention or sale.  
 
 (3) Sub-section (2) does not prevent the giving of any relief or the issue of any process with 
the written consent of the State concerned ; and any such consent, which may be contained in a prior 
agreement, may be expressed so as to apply to a limited extent or generally: 
 
 Provided that a provision merely submitting to the jurisdiction of the courts shall not be 
deemed to be a consent for the purposes of this sub-section. 
 
(4) The head of a State’s diplomatic mission in Pakistan, or the person for the time being 
performing his functions, shall be deemed to have authority to give on behalf of the State any such 
consent as is mentioned in sub-section (3) and, for the purposes of clause (b) of sub-section (2), his 
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certificate that any property is not in use or intended for use by or on behalf of the State for 
commercial purposes shall be accepted as sufficient evidence of that fact unless the contrary is 
proved. 
 
SUPPLEMENTARY PROVISIONS 
 
15. States entitled to immunities and privileges.___(1) The immunities and privileges 
conferred by this Act apply to any foreign State; and references to State include references to___ 
 
(a)  the sovereign or other head of that State in his public capacity; 
 
(b)  the government of that State; and 
 
(c) any department of that government, but not to any entity, hereinafter referred 
to as a “separate entity”, which is distinct from the executive organs of the 
government of the State and capable of suing or being sued. 
 
(2) A separate entity is immune from the jurisdiction of the courts of Pakistan if, and only 
if___ 
 
(a)  the proceedings relate to anything done by it in the exercise of sovereign 
authority; and 
 
(b)  the circumstances are such that a State would have been so immune. 
 
(3) If a separate entity, not being a State’s central bank or other monetary authority, submits 
to the jurisdiction in respect of proceedings in the case of which it is entitled to immunity by virtue 
of sub-section (2) of this section, the provisions of sub-sections (1) to (3) of section 14 shall apply to 
it in respect of those proceedings as if reference to a State were references to that entity. 
 
(4) Property of a State’s central bank or other monetary authority shall not be regarded for 
the purposes of sub-section (3) of section 14 as in use or intended for use for commercial purposes; 
and where any such bank or authority is a separate entity sub-sections (1) and (2) of that section shall 
apply to it as if references to a State were references to the bank or authority. 
 
(5) Section 13 applies to proceedings against the constituent territories of a Federal State; and 
the Federal Government may, by notification in the official Gazette, provide for the other provisions 
of this Ordinance to apply by to any such constituent territory specified in the notification as they 
apply to a State. 
 
(6) Where the provisions of this Ordinance do not apply to a constituent territory by virtue of 
a notification under sub-section (5), the provisions of sub-sections (2) and (3) shall apply to it as if it 
were a separate entity. 
 
16. Restriction and extension of immunities and privileges.___(1) If it appears to the 
Federal Government that the immunities and privileges conferred by this Ordinance in relation to 
any State___ 
 
(a)  exceed those accorded by the law of that State in relation to Pakistan; or 
 
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(b)  are less than those required by any treaty, conventional or other international 
agreement to which that State and Pakistan are parties, the Federal 
Government may, by notification in the official Gazette, provide for 
restricting or, as the case may be, extending those immunities and privileges 
to such extent as it may deem fit. 
 
17. Savings, etc.___(1) This Ordinance does not affect any immunity or privilege conferred 
by the Diplomatic and Consular Privileges Act, 1972 (1X of 1972); and— 
 
(a)  section 6 does not apply to proceedings concerning the employment of the 
members of a mission within the meaning of the Convention set out in the 
First Schedule to the said Act of 1972 or of the members of a consular post 
within the meaning of the Convention set out in the Second Schedule to that 
Act; 
 
(b)  sub-section (1) of section 7 does not apply to proceedings concerning a State’s 
title to, or its possession of, property used for the purposes of a diplomatic 
mission. 
 
(2) This Ordinance does not apply to___ 
 
(a)  proceedings relating to anything done by or in relation to the armed forces of a 
State while present in Pakistan; 
 
(b)  criminal proceedings; or 
 
(c)  proceedings relating to taxation other than those mentioned in section 12. 
 
18. Proof as to certain matters.___A certificate under the hand of a Secretary to the 
Government of Pakistan shall be conclusive evidence on any question___ 
 
(a)  whether any country is a State for the purposes of this Ordinance, whether any 
territory is a constituent territory of a Federal State for those purposes or as to 
the person or persons to be regarded for those purposes as the head or 
Government of a State; or 
 
(b)  whether, and if so when, a document has been served or received as 
mentioned in sub-section (1) or sub-section (5) of section 13. 
 
19. Repeal.___ Sections 86 and 87 of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908. (Act V of 1908) are 
hereby repealed. 
 
__________