The Competition Commission of Pakistan imposed penalties of Rs. 2.363 billion during 2025 as it intensified action against cartelization, price fixing, prohibited agreements, and deceptive marketing practices.
According to official data, the Commission also recovered Rs. 932.56 million during the year and issued 47 show-cause notices to companies operating across multiple sectors.
Most of these actions were aimed at protecting consumers and ensuring fair competition in essential markets.
Alongside enforcement, the Commission made notable progress in clearing its litigation backlog. Through early hearing requests, appointment of competent legal counsel, and close case monitoring, the CCP reduced its pending cases by nearly 70 percent.
As of August 2023, the backlog stood at 567 cases, of which 434 were decided, averaging almost one case resolved every two days.
During the year, the CCP passed 11 orders under the Competition Act 2010. These included five orders related to cartelization and prohibited agreements and four orders addressing deceptive marketing practices. One order in the FMCG sector resulted in a show-cause notice being set aside due to a lack of evidence.
A major regulatory milestone was the approval of complex merger transactions. The CCP granted second-phase approval for the acquisition of Telenor Pakistan and Orion Towers by Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited.
The PTCL Telenor transaction involved analysis across five separate markets and was described as one of the most complex merger reviews globally.
In terms of penalties, the Commission imposed Rs. 1.562 billion on Aisha Steel Mills Limited and International Steels Limited for price fixing.
It also fined the Fertilizer Manufacturers of Pakistan Advisory Council and six member companies Rs. 375 million for collusive practices, while Rs. 155 million was imposed on the Pakistan Poultry Association and eight-day-old chick companies for fixing prices.
Additional penalties were imposed on Hyundai Nishat Motors, Al Ghazi Tractors, British Lyceum, Kingdom Valley, pharmaceutical distributors, and transporters associations for violations related to deceptive marketing and anti competitive conduct.
The 47 show cause notices issued during 2025 included 14 notices for deceptive marketing involving FMCG firms, certification service providers, and veterinary medicine suppliers.
Twenty notices were issued to school systems for anti-competitive practices, while 13 notices under Section 4 targeted cartelization involving sugar mills, steel mills, and an edible oil transporters association. On the merger review front, the CCP examined 159 mergers across 34 sectors, including energy and power, telecommunications, manufacturing, financial services, consumer goods, and real estate.
Other key transactions reviewed included Shell Pakistan’s acquisition by Wafi Energy, SadaPay share transfer, Lotte Chemical Pakistan transaction, Total Parco restructuring, and the TCS Logistics acquisition.
Building on this momentum, the Commission plans to expand its presence by establishing offices in major cities. The move aims to strengthen market outreach, improve stakeholder engagement, and ensure more effective enforcement of competition laws across Pakistan.