Rahat Kaunain appointed as CCP chairperson

The federal cabinet has approved the appointment of Rahat Kaunain Hasan as the new chairperson of the Competitive Commission of Pakistan (CCP).

The cabinet also gave approval to the appointment of Shumaila Lone and Mujtaba Lodhi as members of the CCP for three years.

Giving the approval, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Shibli Faraz said like all other national institutions, the former rulers had appointed their cronies in the CCP, who benefitted their masters at the cost of the consumers.

Now, he expressed the hope that it would perform its duties in an effective manner and protect the rights of the consumers by acting against cartelization.

Rahat, Member (Legal and OFT), has an LL.B degree from the University of the Punjab and an LL.M degree from King's College London. She is a recipient of the coveted Britannia Chevening Scholarship and specialised in the Law of International Finance and International Business Transactions.

Before joining the Commission, she had over 15 years of practice as a corporate and commercial lawyer. She has been a partner at the international law firm, Amhurst Brown, in Islamabad and has also served at the Securities & Exchange Commission of Pakistan as General Counsel/Executive Director (Law and Securities Market Division).

It is pertinent to mention that the finance ministry had shortlisted nine candidates for the three positions of chairperson and members at CCP. These included Rahat Konain Hassan, Shumaila Loan, Moeen Matley, Sameer Ahmad, Muhammad Bilal, Salman Amin, Mujtaba Ahmad Lodhi, Ikramul Haq Qureshi and Khaqan Hassan Najeeb.

Rahat Kaunain has previously served as chairperson of Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) from 2010-2013.