KARACHI - Audience of a seminar was given the firm assurance that consumer courts in the Sindh province in accordance with provisions of Sindh Consumer Protection Act-2015 would be established.

The assurance came from the former special assistant to Sindh chief minister and MPA of ruling Pakistan Peoples Party Sharmila Faruqui while speaking as a keynote speaker at a seminar organised by the Helpline Trust to mark the World Consumer Rights Day.

Faruqui was instrumental in preparation and getting passed the Sindh Consumer Protection Bill from Sindh Assembly. The seminar also coincided with the date marking the third anniversary when the then Sindh governor assented to the Sindh Consumer Protection Law so it attained the status of an Act.

The audience of the moot was also informed that despite passage of three years, the Sindh Consumer Protection Act was yet to be enforced as the Sindh government didn’t notify till to date rules of business or allocate the needed budget required for due implementation of the law. 

The MPA said: “I am going to meet the Sindh CM in a day or two to convince him so that he could initiate the steps required to establish the consumer courts in the province in next six to eight months.”

Faruqui said that she was fully cognizant of the situation that mere passage of the Consumer Protection Law from provincial assembly was not enough as this law should be implemented in letter and spirit to protect lawful rights of consumers in the province. She said that enforcement of Sindh Consumer Protection Act would provide the much needed mechanism and system to resolve genuine complaints of general consumers and also to duly protect their rights. The PPP’s MPA said that she would make efforts to get notified at the earliest the rules required to implement Sindh Consumer Protection Act as at present the rules drafted by Sindh government’s Law Department for the purpose are with the Bureau of Supply and Prices working under the provincial Agriculture Department.

The chief guest of the seminar, President of Karachi Chamber of Commerce & Industry Muffasar Atta Malik, offered to take the issue of formation of the Consumer Courts with the CM Sindh in his capacity as the representative leader of business and industrialists’ fraternity of the city.