Pakistan’s Current Legal Regime of Consumer Protection

الملخص

Consumers have always remained in pursuit of their adequate rights. They depend upon the manufacturers and service providers to deal with prices, qualities and quantities of the products and commodities. They cannot emerge as a unified pressure group, just like manufacturers and cartels that create monopolies to build pressure upon the consumers as well as state. When we observe the plight of consumers in Pakistan, it seems that there is no consumer protection practically existing, except for the recent provincial legislation. It is generally presumed here that customers are intelligent enough to make wise choices, while in many jurisdictions of the world it is presumed otherwise. Thus, the burden is upon commercial enterprises to disclose different details about their products instead of taking advantage of the innocence of their customers who include even illiterate, old and non-professional people. There is dire need to take it seriously in terms of implementation of existing laws in true letter and spirit and to take necessary steps for this purpose because consumer protection plays a vital role in social and economic justice as well as in building public morality.