IHC declares appointment of CCP chairperson as unconstitutional

ISLAMABAD (92 News) – The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday declared appointment of Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) chairperson Vadiyya Khalil and two other members as unconstitutional. The IHC rules in favor of the federal government as ordered to remove CCP chairperson and other two members from their designation declaring as unconstitutional. The court also quashed the decision of the single bench to reinstate the three. The IHC has directed authorities to make new appointments in a transparent manner within a month. The Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) was established on 2 October 2007 under the Competition Ordinance, 2007, which was repromulgated in November 2009. Major aim of this Ordinance was to provide for a legal framework to create a business environment based on healthy competition for improving economic efficiency, developing competitiveness and protecting consumers from anti-competitive practices. The Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) is an independent quasi-regulatory, quasi-judicial body that helps ensures healthy competition between companies for the benefit of the economy. The Commission prohibits abuse of a dominant position in the market, certain types of anti-competitive agreements, and deceptive market practices. It also reviews mergers of undertakings that could result in a significant lessening of competition.