As part of the Competition Advocacy Academia Drive, the Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) initiated the second leg by holding seminars at the Peshawar University (UoP) and Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Women's University SBBWU Peshawar, which were participated by the faculty members and students of economics, law and management sciences in large numbers.
In the first phase of the Academia Drive, seminars were held in nine universities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad. In the second phase, seminars will be held in 18 leading universities of the four provinces. The seminar in Peshawar University was attended by Dr Zilakat Khan Malik, Chairman Economics Department, Dr Danish Alam, senior faculty member Economics, and students of Economics and Management Sciences. The seminar in Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Women's University was attended by Dr Abdul Manan, Head of Law Department, Dr Ayesha Abrar, Head of Management Sciences, Dr Madiha Gohar, Assistant Professor, Department of Economics, and students of Economics, Law and Management Sciences in large numbers. The participants of these seminars were given presentations explaining the key concepts of competition, substantive provisions of the Competition Act, 2010, and initiatives taken by CCP for creating a level playing field in the economy.
The faculty members and students showed great interest in the seminars by actively participating in the discussions. "Besides ensuring a level playing field in the economy, the Competition Law also offers great opportunities for the students of economics and law to do research and get specialised skills set for their future," said Dr Zilakat Khan Malik while speaking at the seminar.
Dr Madiha Gohar while addressing the seminar at Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Women's University underlined the need for close co-ordination between the University and CCP for imparting the latest knowledge and training to students of economics, management sciences and law. Presentations by CCP included an animation on Competition Law, a brief overview of the evolution of Competition Policy and Law world-wide, an outline of the Pakistan's Competition Law, and a presentation on the role of the Office of Fair Trade (OFT) in curbing deceptive marketing practices.
After the seminar a meeting was held to discuss the "Module on Economics and Competition Law" and its possible adoption as an elective subject by the University. The CCP team including: Ikram ul Haq Qureshi, Member Cartels & Trade Abuse and Legal, Dr Shahzad Ansar, Advisor to CCP, Ahmed Qadir, Director General, Competition Policy & Research and International Affairs, Noman Laiq, Secretary, Syed Umair Javed, Registrar of CCP, and Maryam Haseeb, Deputy Director Research.