KARACHI, July 17: Provincial ombudsman, Haziq-ul- Khairi, has said that the country has no law regarding consumer protection in line with the international convention. “ Instead there are monopoly control laws which rather serve the interest of businessmen, traders and industrialists.

The ombudsman was speaking at a seminar on “ Standardization of Food & PSQCA Laws” organised by the Helpline Trust on Wednesday.

He said that the laws such as the Pakistan Penal Code, the Contract Act, the Sale of Goods Act, the Drug Act, the Standard of Weight and Measurement Act were not sufficient to protect consumers.

He informed that the law relating to ombudsman envisages requires an ombudsman to diagnose, investigate and rectify any injustice done to a person through maladministration of the government where its decision, process and recommendations are contrary to law , perverse , arbitrary , unreasonable , unjust, biased, oppressive , discriminatory or involve corrupt practices.

He said there were instances where the ombudsman, either on a private complaint or through suo-moto action, might take up consumer’s protection cases. He also informed that one such case came up before him about two years back when nine citizens brought to his notice the rampant use of sweet supari and gutka, posing a real health hazard.

Speaking on the occasion DG, PSQCA, Dr Khaqan Hasan, said that his department being the member of the ISO was trying its best to enforce international quality and standardisation rules and regulations and create infrastructure for the adoption of all these internationally recognised standards in our trade and industries.

Earlier, chairman Helpline Trust, A. Hamid Maker, disclosed that a recent survey carried had revealed that over 40% of consumer products available in Karachi were counterfeit, substandard or adulterated.—PPI