President re-promulgates Competition Ordinance

[LahoreEstate]

ISLAMABAD: President Zardari has saved the Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) by re-promulgating the ordinance a day before it was scheduled to expire.

Chairman of the commission, Khalid Mirza, has thanked the president for acting in a timely fashion.

The CCP Ordinance would have ceased to be effective by midnight on Saturday but the re-promulgation means it will now remain active.

Khalid Mirza vowed to continue to implement the Competition Ordinance vigorously so that the consumers are protected from anti competitive practices.

I am grateful to President Zardari for taking re-promulgation of CCP on time, said Khalid Mirza. We will continue to implement the Competition Ordinance vigorously in letter and spirit, so that productive efficiency is achieved, business enterprises flourish and the consumer is protected, added Mirza.

The Competition Commission of Pakistan was established on Oct 2, 2007 by the then President Pervaiz Musharraf. But it became necessary to re-promulgate it after the Supreme Court, in its July 31, 2009 verdict declared the Provisional Constitutional Order (PCO) promulgated by Musharraf as illegal and unconstitutional and directed the government to get the Parliament’s approval for all ordinances put into effect by the PCO, including the Competition Ordinance, in 120 days, which is to end on Nov 28.

The Competition Ordinance could have been kept alive either by validation by parliament or if it was re-promulgated by the president. The government has taken the latter route after it missed out on the time window to have it approved by the Parliament. In either case keeping the ordinance, and therefore the CCP, alive is a welcome move on part of the government after reported pressure by various lobbies to do away with the competition law.

http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn...ance-za-03