PESHAWAR – Speakers at a seminar on Saturday called for awareness on consumer protection laws, an active Consumer Protection Council and formation of a Consumer Watchdog Association in Peshawar to safeguard the consumer rights.
It was the crux of the daylong seminar arranged by The Network for Consumer Protection for the lawyers of district courts in Peshawar on “Consumer Protection Laws & Grievance Redress Mechanism in Energy Sector”. Funded by USAID, the seminar aimed at orientation of lawyers on the city’s 15 years old Consumer Protection Law making it more proactive in providing relief and redress to consumers of the capital city.
“I have been practicing in Peshawar courts for the last 5 years but its only after attending The Network training on consumer protection laws that I came to know that there is a consumer judge in the Peshawar District Courts where we can go into litigation on any consumer related issue such as faulty gas and electricity bills or non availability of gas etc,” said Shabana Advocate, a female lawyer practicing in Peshawar courts.
Advocate Syed Baber Andrabi, another lawyer participant of the training workshop, agreed saying that this training has opened up a new avenue of practice for him as he had been mainly involved in litigation around criminal matters or property disputes but now he can sue any corporate entity and claim for damages. Another advocate Humera Gul stressed the need for activating Consumer Protection Council and Consumer Court in Peshawar. Afshan Basharat, an Advocacy and Communication Officer of The Network said that the aim of the project is to mobilize consumers and link them with the lawyers that they can get efficient and cost effective legal help.
Another objective, she said, is to motive lawyers to take their own initiatives and go for public interest litigation. She briefed the participants about the nature of three types of regulations- self, co and third party to make the consumer redress framework more effective in consumer sector. She said that NEPRA and OGRA laws provide for the effective contribution of consumers in the open hearings for price determination of the tariff but the consumer representation is negligible. There is a consumer court operational in Peshawar where a judge with an additional responsibility can be approached. The workshop has a specific focus on energy sector laws and regulations as in the recent past the Peshawar city have experienced violent electricity protests taking the public life to standstill.
Thousands of people suffered during those protests.
In her presentation of the participants, Amna Bano, Project Coordinator The Network, said that the consumer protection law of Peshawar needs to be seen as a whole. It also requires an active Consumer Protection Council mainly consisting of bureaucrats and eminent people from the capital and the associations of consumers. The litigation in the Consumer Court is only done after exhausting all these forums. But she lamented that in Peshawar there is no Consumer Council as per law. “Until and unless the Consumer Protection Council is formed the Consumer Courts cannot provide redress effectively to the Consumers under the NWFP Consumer Protection Act 1997”.
She also stressed upon the need for the formation of a Consumer Watchdog Association in Peshawar Capital Territory to safeguard the consumer rights of the citizens.
As many as 30 participants from Peshawar District Courts participated in the day long training workshop which familiarized them with the consumer protection laws and the mechanism to enforce them.
The participants were given orientation on the concept of Consumer Protection and Consumer Protection Legislation in Pakistan. Also a detailed session was dedicated to the N.W.F.P Consumer Protection Act 1997 and the relevant Energy sector regulations. Participants of the workshop resolved to effectively implement the N.W.F.P Consumer Protection Act 1997. The participants vowed that, “they would be the torch bearers to spread the awareness and understanding of the consumer protection legislation among their clients and the society in general”.
Towards the end of the training the participants exhibited strong understanding of the consumer protection laws. An Energy Lawyers Association was formed among the participants to provide a well conversant platform for the consumers for the efficient and effective grievance redressal.