Day: October 5, 2020

Having been the apex body of cement makers for the last 12 years, the All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers’ Association (APCMA) knew well that when the regulator comes calling, it is rarely to convey good news. Last week, the Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) conducted a search at the headquarters of APCMA in Lahore purportedly to gather evidence of possible communication, arrangement, agreement or understanding among cement producers pertaining to the alleged violation of the provisions of Competition Act 2010. A week later, there is no knowing what came to pass…

The Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Pakistan said getting Iran’s Chabahar and Pakistan’s Gwadar ports linked will strengthen bilateral trade and bring prosperity to the region. Ambassador Seyed Mohammad Ali Hosseini during an interview with Pakistani newspaper ‘Business Recorder’ said Gwadar and Chabahar are two important ports, adding that if they become more active, the two ports will bring regional progress and prosperity. “Some are trying to present these two ports as competitors to each other, while we do not take it as a competition but a…

In the 1990s Pakistan started off on an ambitious multi-step power sector reforms programme. It was a long and drawn-out process that began with the induction of independent power producers followed by the unbundling of WAPDA and creation of the National Power and Regulatory Authority (NEPRA). It was supposed to have culminated in the privatization of all major DISCOs. However, the process fell through for a number of reasons, including the lack of political will. Back in the 1980sn and 1990s, privatization and deregulation of public infrastructure services was a…