MANSEHRA: Local lawyers have announced they will move the Peshawar High Court against the recent amendments to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Consumer Protection Act 1997 saying the winding up of consumer councils under them is unjustified.

“We are moving to high court against amendments to the Consumer Protection Act as consumer councils constituted under the said law in 24 districts of the province have been wound up without justification,” Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Bar Council member Shahjehan Khan Swati told reporters here on Friday.

Swati said the consumer protections councils, which consisted of people from different walks of life, including lawyers, journalists, ulema and heads of government departments, worked voluntarily to protect the rights of consumers.

“The amendments to the consumer law did away with consumer councils and led to the formation of provincial consumer councils but the latter can’t address consumer issues at district levels, a job earlier done through consumer councils in districts,” he said.

The bar council member said the transfer of powers earlier used by consumer courts to the director (industries) or his subordinates in districts not only went against the law but also not viable.

He said a representative of the director (industries) in every district couldn’t perform the duty earlier done by almost three dozen members of consumer council.

“The recent amendments to the consumer protection law are against the people’s interests and have created confusion,” he said.

Swati, who remained the president of district bar association many times, said amendments to the consumer law violated the people’s fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution and therefore, lawyers had planned to challenge them in the court of law.

Published in Dawn, October 10th , 2015

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