ISLAMABAD, JUNE 01 (DNA) – The Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) held a workshop on “Guidance on Competition Compliance (GCC)” at Overseas Investors Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OICCI).

The workshop was based on the Commission’s Guidance for Competition Compliance, (available on www.cc.gov.pk) launched in December 2016, to encourage and promote voluntary compliance of the law.

 The guide explains the nature of competition law enforcement in Pakistan to show how competition law risks can arise if they are not understood or managed.

 It also provides suggestions that can help businesses approach the management of risks in a systematic and effective way and the steps they can take to reduce financial and reputational risks from any transgressions

The workshop was hosted by the Secretary General OICCI, Mr. Abdul Aleem and Deputy Secretary General OICCI, Mr. Moin Mohajir, along with other OICCI officials.

The CCP delegation was led by Chairperson CCP Vadiyya Khalil along with Ikram Ul Haque Qureshi, (Member).

The other CCP officers were Ahmed Qadir, (Director General); Noman Laiq (Director); Arshad Javed and Sophia Khan, (Deputy Directors Legal Department), who gave a consolidated presentation and elaborated various aspects of Competition Act, 2010 and the essential components of the compliance programme.

The workshop participants were the members of OICCI and representatives of the business community. The presentation was followed by the question-and-answer session.

At the start, the OICCI General Secretary Abdul Aleem welcomed the CCP team and shared highlights of the recently launched Business Confidence Survey, OICCI members’ CSR contributions and OICCI’s perspective of the country’s economic overview.

Chairperson Khalil referred to the long-standing relationship between the OICCI and CCP saying that it was the sixth joint event between the two and the very first workshop of the Guidance on Competition Compliance. She said that the CCP is not only a market enforcer but also a market developer.

She said that competition law in Pakistan is pro-business: it ensures investment, innovation, growth, and development of businesses which in turn leads to a more robust economy

Compliance with the law has become especially important in the field of competition law.

 The Commission wants to help businesses confidently instill a culture of compliance within their organisations and, for this purpose, will be doing similar workshops with other businesses to promote voluntary compliance with competition law.=DNA

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