ISLAMABAD: The federal government has appointed Dr Kabir Ahmed Sidhu as the new chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), according to a notification issued by the Finance Division on Friday.
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Dr Sidhu is currently serving as chairman of the Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP), a role he assumed in August 2023. During his tenure, the CCP underwent one of the most significant institutional turnarounds in its history.
Under his leadership, the CCP reduced its court case backlog by more than 70 per cent, deciding 434 cases out of 567 pending matters. The regulator also recovered around Rs1.36 billion in penalties, a sharp contrast to the roughly Rs200 million recovered over the previous two decades. In addition, fresh enforcement actions resulted in penalties exceeding Rs2 billion.
Dr Sidhu led major crackdowns on cartels and market abuse in sectors such as poultry, sugar, edible oil, telecommunications and medical services. Several of these actions were upheld by the Supreme Court and the Competition Appellate Tribunal, strengthening the CCP’s enforcement credibility.
He also prioritised consumer protection and action against deceptive marketing, imposing penalties on firms in real estate, FMCG, education, pharmaceuticals and the automobile sector. Notable cases involved companies such as Kingdom Valley, Unilever, FrieslandCampina Engro, Al-Ghazi Tractors, Hyundai Nishat, British Lyceum and 3N Lifemed.
A key reform introduced during his tenure was the establishment of the Market Intelligence Unit (MIU), the CCP’s first AI-powered surveillance wing, aimed at proactive and data-driven detection of anti-competitive practices.
On the facilitation side, the CCP cleared 139 mergers across 34 sectors, including high-profile deals such as the PTCL–Telenor merger and Shell Pakistan’s sale to Wafi Energy. The PTCL–Telenor decision, in particular, was noted for balancing investment promotion with competition safeguards.
Dr Sidhu also oversaw the creation of a centre of excellence in competition law to support sector-wide competition assessments and regulatory modernisation.
According to official records, Dr Sidhu holds a law degree, an LLM in banking, insurance and international business law, and a PhD from the University of Manchester, focusing on investor protection and stock exchange regulation. He has over two decades of experience across legal practice, financial institutions and public-sector roles in Pakistan and the UK.
