Government appoints new chairman, members to revive Competition Appellate Tribunal

The federal government has reconstituted the Competition Appellate Tribunal (CAT) by appointing a new chairman and two members, restoring its operations after a period of inactivity. 

A notification issued by the Ministry of Law and Justice on Thursday confirmed the appointments.

Justice Sajjad Ali Shah, a former Supreme Court judge, has been named chairman of the tribunal, while Dr. Faiz Elahi Memon and Asim Akram have been appointed as members. The tribunal serves as the appellate body for cases challenging the decisions of the Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP).

The tribunal had been non-functional since June 2024, following the elevation of its previous chairman, Justice (Retd) Mazhar Alam Miankhel, to an ad hoc judgeship in the Supreme Court. Miankhel had been appointed as CAT chairman in November 2023, briefly resuming its activities before his departure left the tribunal inactive once again.

During its last operational phase, the tribunal made significant progress in clearing pending cases. By July 2023, it had issued 30 rulings on appeals against CCP decisions, leading to the recovery of Rs100 million in compliance with its verdicts. With the latest appointments, the tribunal is expected to resume hearing cases and address pending competition-related disputes.