After the gap of six years, the Commission held its’ 22nd Competition Consultative Group (CCG) meeting on 24 June, 2021. The CCG is an informal think tank which the Commission established in 2008 to consult with the stakeholders on competition-related matters. The participants included: Mr. Tariq Iqbal Khan Chairman Audit Oversight Board, Ms. Birgitt Lamm Country Head Friedrich Naumann Foundation Pakistan, Sardar Yasir Ilyas President of Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Shahraiz Ashraf Malik Vice President of Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr. Abdul Aleem General Secretary OICCI, Mr. Rifat Parvez Additional Secretary/Executive Director General Board of Investment, Mr. Sajjeed Aslam Head ACCA Pakistan, and senior officials from SECP, PPRA, NEPRA, IPO, PTA, IFPRI, IDE, Pakistan Microfinance Network, and SDPI. The participants were briefed on the Commission’s initiatives, performance and strategic vision. A presentation on the Commission’s draft report on Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) sector, exploring the ways and means of improving competitiveness and economic efficiency of SME’s by providing recommendations to the draft SME Policy Framework was also given. Furthermore, the draft report titled, “Promoting Economic Efficiency of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Pakistan”, drew comparisons between the 2007 SME Policy and the updated Draft SME Policy 2020 and offered recommendations under the Commission’s mandate to further improve the draft SME Policy Framework. The meeting was chaired by Ms. Rahat Kaunain Hassan and the Commission’s Members, Ms. Shaista Bano, Ms. Bushra Naz Malik and Mr. Mujtaba Ahmad Lodhi and Director Generals were also present in the meeting. Mr. Hashim Raza CEO SMEDA, while joining the meeting online, praised the initiative and assured his full support to Commission. Mr. Rifat Parvez, Additional Secretary/Executive Director General BOI, said that the Commission’s job was vital in establishing an enabling environment for foreign direct investment in Pakistan. The OICCI General Secretary Mr. Abdul Aleem, assured OICCI’s full help to the Commission in establishing a competitive business environment. While briefing the participants about the Commission’s strategic vision, the Chairperson informed that while enforcement and policy intervention remain the top priority, the other key areas of focus include the essential commodities for removing anti-competitive distortions in the market, public procurement for reducing collusive practices and promoting fair competition, concession agreements for regulating exclusivity, digital markets and e-commerce for consumer protection, improving the economic efficiency of SMEs and SOEs, collaborations and partnerships for providing guidelines, improving compliance by strengthening the Leniency Framework, and knowledge-based advocacy. The Chairperson further shared with the participants that the Commission has initiated the process of hiring sectoral specialists in around 12 sectors, i.e., automobile, cement, energy (electric power and renewable energy), cooking oil, sugar, wheat, banking, pharmaceutical, poultry, education, road construction, and steel. The Commission also plans to develop and declare e-commerce policy guidelines to educate consumers on electronic marketplace and encourage fair trade practices to address the potential conflict of abuse and deceptive marketing practices in the e-commerce domain. It was also briefed that during July 2020 – June 2021, the Commission completed 20 enquiries, initiated 21 new ones, conducted 12 search and inspections, issued 120 show-cause notices, completed hearings of 80 sugar mills in the sugar cartelisation case, and passed four Orders. During the same period, the Commission also managed to issue two Policy Notes to the government in the sugar and wheat sectors and processed 49 mergers & acquisitions and 40 exemption applications.
After the gap of six years, the Commission held its’ 22nd Competition Consultative Group (CCG) meeting on 24 June, 2021. The CCG is an informal think tank which the Commission established in 2008 to consult with the stakeholders on competition-related matters.
The participants included: Mr. Tariq Iqbal Khan Chairman Audit Oversight Board, Ms. Birgitt Lamm Country Head Friedrich Naumann Foundation Pakistan, Sardar Yasir Ilyas President of Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Shahraiz Ashraf Malik Vice President of Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr. Abdul Aleem General Secretary OICCI, Mr. Rifat Parvez Additional Secretary/Executive Director General Board of Investment, Mr. Sajjeed Aslam Head ACCA Pakistan, and senior officials from SECP, PPRA, NEPRA, IPO, PTA, IFPRI, IDE, Pakistan Microfinance Network, and SDPI.
The participants were briefed on the Commission’s initiatives, performance and strategic vision. A presentation on the Commission’s draft report on Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) sector, exploring the ways and means of improving competitiveness and economic efficiency of SME’s by providing recommendations to the draft SME Policy Framework was also given.
Furthermore, the draft report titled, “Promoting Economic Efficiency of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Pakistan”, drew comparisons between the 2007 SME Policy and the updated Draft SME Policy 2020 and offered recommendations under the Commission’s mandate to further improve the draft SME Policy Framework.
The meeting was chaired by Ms. Rahat Kaunain Hassan and the Commission’s Members, Ms. Shaista Bano, Ms. Bushra Naz Malik and Mr. Mujtaba Ahmad Lodhi and Director Generals were also present in the meeting. Mr. Hashim Raza CEO SMEDA, while joining the meeting online, praised the initiative and assured his full support to Commission. Mr. Rifat Parvez, Additional Secretary/Executive Director General BOI, said that the Commission’s job was vital in establishing an enabling environment for foreign direct investment in Pakistan. The OICCI General Secretary Mr. Abdul Aleem, assured OICCI’s full help to the Commission in establishing a competitive business environment.
While briefing the participants about the Commission’s strategic vision, the Chairperson informed that while enforcement and policy intervention remain the top priority, the other key areas of focus include the essential commodities for removing anti-competitive distortions in the market, public procurement for reducing collusive practices and promoting fair competition, concession agreements for regulating exclusivity, digital markets and e-commerce for consumer protection, improving the economic efficiency of SMEs and SOEs, collaborations and partnerships for providing guidelines, improving compliance by strengthening the Leniency Framework, and knowledge-based advocacy.
The Chairperson further shared with the participants that the Commission has initiated the process of hiring sectoral specialists in around 12 sectors, i.e., automobile, cement, energy (electric power and renewable energy), cooking oil, sugar, wheat, banking, pharmaceutical, poultry, education, road construction, and steel. The Commission also plans to develop and declare e-commerce policy guidelines to educate consumers on electronic marketplace and encourage fair trade practices to address the potential conflict of abuse and deceptive marketing practices in the e-commerce domain.
It was also briefed that during July 2020 – June 2021, the Commission completed 20 enquiries, initiated 21 new ones, conducted 12 search and inspections, issued 120 show-cause notices, completed hearings of 80 sugar mills in the sugar cartelisation case, and passed four Orders. During the same period, the Commission also managed to issue two Policy Notes to the government in the sugar and wheat sectors and processed 49 mergers & acquisitions and 40 exemption applications.
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