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Aftab Maken
ISLAMABAD: The Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) has undertaken aggressive enforcement actions to uphold fair business practices and safeguard consumer rights during the fiscal year 2024–25. The Commission targeted cartelization, abuse of dominant market positions, and deceptive marketing practices across key economic sectors.
According to the CCP’s annual enforcement report, the Commission initiated 24 fresh inquiries during the year—11 related to cartelization and 13 against deceptive marketing tactics. It successfully concluded 14 investigations, which have now been forwarded for adjudication, said an official statement of the Commission issued here on Monday.
The sectors under scrutiny included e-commerce, telecommunications, aviation, steel, transport, edible oil and ghee, gas, pharmaceuticals, construction, education, and general commodities—highlighting the CCP’s broad approach to market regulation.
The Cartel and Trade Abuse Department led 11 new inquiries targeting collusion and market manipulation in several key industries. These included probes into possible price-fixing and bid-rigging activities in e-commerce, aviation, telecommunications, steel, and energy-related sectors. An additional 10 inquiries carried over from previous years also remained active, out of which nine were concluded and moved forward for further action.
Among the high-profile cases, ten steel structure suppliers were investigated for allegedly rigging bids in tenders floated by power distribution companies (DISCOs). Another significant case involved two major flat steel manufacturers accused of fixing prices, potentially harming competition in the steel industry.
In the transport sector, proceedings were launched against the Transporters Goods Association (TGA) and the Local Goods Transport Association (LGTA) for allegedly fixing freight rates for cargo transportation from Port Qasim—an act seen as anti-competitive. Similarly, several leading companies in the cable manufacturing industry were investigated for enforcing Resale Price Maintenance (RPM) by preventing dealers from offering discounts below set prices.
The CCP’s Office of Fair Trade (OFT) took strong action on the deceptive marketing front, initiating 13 new investigations and pursuing eight ongoing ones from the previous year. OFT successfully completed five major cases—two in the pharmaceutical sector and one each in construction, commodities, and education.
Among the most notable deceptive marketing cases was AR Amreli Builders’ unauthorized use of the well-known Amreli Steels trademark. Panther Tyres was also under the spotlight for claiming to be “Pakistan’s No. 1 Tyre” without substantiating evidence. In another case, FS Cosmetics was found copying the packaging of Dabur Amla Hair Oil, misleading consumers through lookalike branding.
Speaking on the Commission’s performance, CCP Chairman Dr. Kabir Sidhu reaffirmed the authority’s commitment to enforcing competition laws. “Cartelization, abuse of dominance, and deceptive marketing tactics severely distort markets and harm consumers. The CCP maintains zero tolerance for such practices and will continue to take strict legal action to ensure fair competition in all sectors,” he said.
With robust enforcement in place, the CCP continues to play a pivotal role in promoting transparency, protecting consumer interests, and fostering a competitive economic environment in Pakistan.
