CCP chief backs fair trading office

The prohibition of deceptive marketing is one of the four pillars enshrined in the competition law of Pakistan.

KARACHI: The prohibition of deceptive marketing is one of the four important pillars enshrined in the competition law of Pakistan, according to the chairperson of the Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP), Rahat Kaunain.

“The idea behind setting up the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) was to build and enhance the link between the commission and consumers,” said Kaunain.

Addressing a seminar here on Tuesday, she said that the OFT was established as a focal point for identifying and providing solutions to issues arising from false or misleading advertising. The Office aims to protect consumers from anti-competitive behaviour in order to enable informed consumer decisions. It was set up within the CCP on July 7, 2008.

According to head of the competition watchdog, OFT’s compliance-oriented approach has brought corrective behaviour in two important sectors: telecommunications and consumer banking.

The country’s competition law prohibits certain marketing practices which include distribution of false or misleading information that is capable of harming the business interests of another undertaking; distribution of false or misleading information to consumers, including lacking reasonable basis, related to price, character, method or place of production, properties, suitability for use, or quality of goods; false or misleading comparison of goods in process of advertising; and fraudulent use of another’s trade mark.

The OFT has also provided an online complaint provision.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 6^th, 2010.