Wilmar asks court to delay Unity Foods board appointments until Nov 18

Wilmar Pakistan Holdings Pte. Limited has asked the Sindh High Court to clarify its October 30 order concerning Unity Foods UNITY, disputing that it consented to a process that would give Wilmar or its group a majority of the board seats being filled. Wilmar also asked the court to prevent appointments to the casual vacancies until its application for a provisional manager is heard and decided on November 18.

The clarification application was presented on November 5. Wilmar says its counsel had no instructions to consent to a particular method of filling the vacancies or to a particular board composition. It has asked the court to clarify that the order does not record Wilmar's consent, or imply that the company controls or has controlled Unity Foods' management.

The October 30 order directed that the vacancies be filled under directions issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan on September 3. The process was to be supervised by the regulator's counsel and give Wilmar and/or its group a majority of the seats being filled, excluding independent directors. The order recorded that the direction was made with the parties' consent, which Wilmar now disputes.

In its main petition, filed under the Companies Act, 2017, Wilmar seeks Unity Foods' winding up. It has separately applied for a provisional manager, saying the appointment should precede winding up. Wilmar argues that filling the board vacancies would not resolve the issues underlying that application, including the reliability of the company's financial records and the preservation and verification of its assets and liabilities.

Unity Foods said in a March 5 letter to the Pakistan Stock Exchange that management control had been assumed by Wilmar International under a shareholders' agreement dated December 21, 2025, and resolutions passed on December 23. The company also said a Wilmar-approved chief executive and chief financial officer had been appointed. Wilmar disputes the account that it controlled the company's management.