World Consumers Rights Day is celebrated every year on 15th of March and is celebrated all over the world. To commemorate World Consumer Rights Day, Helpline Trust had organized its 4th Annual National Conference on Saturday, 15th March, 2008, at a local hotel.

Objective is to highlight the issues relating to consumer rights and consumer protection against sub-standard, adulterated and counterfeit products and services.

The Conference covered a range of topics relating to Consumer Protection Laws, CSR, IPR, promoting quality and standards and the Role of Consumer Protection Organizations in monitoring and enforcing these laws and standards.

Mr. Hamid Maker, Chairman, Helpline Trust, in his opening remarks stated that Consumers are at the core of all business operations and their interests have to be kept paramount. Manufacturers and service providers need to tailor their operations to providing their consumers with quality products and services, in a manner that is profitable, yet ethical, so as to satisfy all stakeholders. He stated that due to the absence of Consumer Protection laws and enforcement of existing laws, the markets in Pakistan are flooded with sub-standard, look alike and counterfeit products and Pakistan has become a 'number do' nation. This has affected our exports and has also tarnished our image in the international markets. He added that there is a need for regulation on part of the Government and activism on part of the civil society to ensure protection of consumer rights.

Other participants in the Conference included senior members from the government, judiciary, trade and industry.

Engr. Abdul Rashid Khan has said that consumers play important role in the economic growth of any country and being the major contributor in promotion of national and international trade. He stated this while delivering a keynote address at National conference on Consumer Protection organized by The Helpline Trust in collaboration with PNAC. Mr. Rashid explained that a strong and comprehensive national quality infrastructure comprising of an internationally recognized Accreditation System, Metrology System, Standardization System, Labs, Certification Bodies, and Inspection Agencies play big role for consumer protection to validate the certificates issued by certification bodies laboratories, inspection agencies etc for products and processes against accepted standards" he maintained.

Dr. Noor Mohammed Butt, well known Scientist and Chairman, Pakistan Science Foundation, claimed that upcoming products would be manufactured under the latest introduced Nanotechnology could improve quality of consumer goods. He claimed that a normal thin stuff like Nanotechnology bulletproof shirt have been invented, which would stop the bullet on its surface. He said that milk and other food items expiry date could be extended for many years through this technology. He also said that with using this technology, consumer products could be saved from bacteria and virus.

Justice (Retd) Saiduzzaman Siddiqui, in his address, took a detailed and insightful study of the laws relating to consumers protection evolved in recent past in countries like Pakistan, India and USA and made comparative study about them and in the light of which he emphasized the urgent need for awareness programme to educate the consumers about their rights and establishments of associations and organizations headed by public spirited persons to take up the causes of consumers as majority of consumers in "our country are illiterate and unaware of their rights".

Mr. Malik Zadin Khan, DDO (Gen.), CDGK Price Control and Bachat Bazaar, gave a detailed account of the reforms with regard to price control introduced by CDGK over the years and admitted that consumers are the core of the society and their rights should have to be protected at any cost and in view of this undeniable reality their complaints should be heeded immediately and for this purpose a helpline telephone No. 1339 has already been installed to receive and redress the complaints round the clock. During his address when his attention was drawn to the unprecedented price-hike of green vegetables, which has almost paralysed the consumers purchasing power.

Mr. Malik Zadin Khan admitted that government has utterly failed to control vegetables prices and it was due to the fact that we have only three Sabzimandis at present in the city and are controlled by strong Mafias ring which can not be broken unless more Sabzimandies are coming up in the city and more administrative powers are vested to towns' chairman.

Ms. Shameim Kazmi, National President, AB, P&W also expressed her concern over the raise of prices of vegetables and termed the situation alarming.

Ms. Farkhanda Ahmed, Trustee, Helpline Trust, who was compeering, endorsed the views and expressed her own experience of a Sabzimandi she visited recently.

The conference's sessions was also addressed by Mr. Asad Ashraf Malik, Ombudsman Sindh, Mr. Mohammad Mohsin, Registrar, Trade Marks Registry, Mr. Humayun S. Ansari, Chairman, Marketing Department, IBA, Maj. (R) Masood Ahmed, Mr. Adeel Athar, Pakistan State Oil, Mr. David Monkman, CEO, SME Business Support Fund, Mr. Irfan Shahzad Bhatti, Corporate Manufacturing Excellence Manager, Engro Foods Limited and A. Hamid Maker, who spoke about the consumer laws and consumer protection, read our declaration on consumer protection.

Helpline Trust - "We Care"