CCP to facilitate chambers of commerce against competition issues: Rahat Kaunain Hassan.

KARACHI -- Competition Commission of Pakistan Chairperson Ms. Rahat Kaunain Hassan offered to exempt chambers of commerce from the fee charges, while registering formal complaints against competition issues.

The offer by the CCP's chairperson was made at Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, during her visit on Friday.

She was accompanied by a team of his senior officers, according to the press release issued by KCCI.

During the session, members of KCCI brought several issues and competition related matters to the CCP's notice.

KCCI leadership apprised the CCP team of different competition issues and sought its help in creating a level playing field, while removing entry barriers in the different sectors.

KCCI President Muhammad Idrees, Vice President Qazi Zahid Hussain, KCCI Managing Committee members participated in the advocacy session.

However, CCP Chief Ms. Rahat Kaunain Hassan said that the competition had imposed penalties of up to Rs 70 billion for different violations of the Competition Act on various sectors.

However, Rahat Kaunain Hassan maintained the recovery remains paltry due to the fact that most of the undertakings had challenged the CCP's orders in the higher courts where the due process of judicial review is underway.

The real effectiveness of the CCP's orders would be felt once the judicial review process is complete, particularly in the cartel cases, that call for prioritization for the harm it incurs to the economy, she added.

CCP Chairperson further said that as an institution, the CCP was accountable for its mandate, but in the pending cases the review process has to take its course.

Ms. Rahat Kaunain Hassan said that against the general impression, the CCP was not a price regulator, but it only intervenes where the prices of goods and services were affected by anti-competitive practices, such as abuse of dominance and cartelization.

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