KARACHI: Deceptive marketing practices have a direct impact on consumers and the competitors of the businesses and therefore businesses must be truthful while marketing their products, an official said.
The Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) Chairperson Rahat Kaunain Hassan recommended businesses to “Show what you sell and say what you mean,” which can make them fully compliant and truthful to the consumers and not allow businesses to take any undue competitive advantage.
She was addressing an Advocacy Session on Competition Law organised by the Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI).
Rahat said that businesses are free to make profits as long as they are not violating the competition principles. Nothing bars businesses under the law from growing; per se dominance is not prohibited, it is the abuse of dominance that triggers competition law enforcement, she added.
Enforcement creates a better understanding of the law and contributes to developing a competition culture therefore, the CCP will continue to enforce the law in letter and spirit without fear and favour as it has been doing across all sectors of the economy, the CCP chairperson said.
The CCP is also playing its part in the policy reform by offering recommendations that would enhance economic efficiencies and create a level playing field.
As part of its mandate to review the policy frameworks, the CCP’s draft pilot study on the “Assessment of Supply Chain from Farm gate to Retail” recommends policy measures for enhancing economic efficiency and eliminating distortions in the supply chain of essential commodities, Rahat said.
Similarly, its report on the Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) sector will offer recommendations for improving the economic efficiencies of the SMEs, she added.
She apprised that consultative sessions have commenced on the CCP’s draft “E-Commerce Policy Guidelines” for deliberations with the stakeholders.
Clarifying the generally misunderstood linkage between the competition law and Pakistan’s comparative country ranking on the Global Competitiveness Index (GCI) of the World Economic Forum (WEF), the CCP chairperson said that the competition law does play a role in removing entry barriers, improving the market access, and creating a level playing field.
However, she said, the country’s ranking in the GCI is based on other factors such as institutions, infrastructure, Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) adoption, macroeconomic stability, health, skills, product market, labour market, financial system, market size, business dynamism and innovation capability.
RCCI President Chaudhry Nadeem A Rauf acknowledged the good work done by the CCP and emphasised the need to create more awareness of the competition law.
He offered RCCI’s platform for educating the businessmen on the do’s and don’ts of the law, while appreciating the chairperson’s suggestion of exempting the chambers from fees for filing formal complaints with the CCP.
The RCCI’s representatives took an active part in the discussion by asking numerous questions and highlighting many issues.
The Chairperson said that the CCP’s doors are open for all, and businessmen must feel free to approach the CCP through the Chambers of Commerce or in an individual capacity.
RCCI Vice President Tallat Mahmood Awan, Senior Vice President Asim Mehmood Malik, former senior vice president Saqib Rafiq, executive committee members and representatives of the business community attended the session.
