A recent article published on 12-08-25 in Business Recorder, questioning the design, consultation process, and readiness of Pakistan’s Competitive Trading Bilateral Contracts Market (CTBCM), is based on misunderstandings and incomplete information.

The facts paint a very different picture by ignoring that the CTBCM design is developed based on careful planning, global benchmarking, rigorous testing, and structured implementation that provides both initial market opening, its gradual transition from the proposed market to gradually leading towards the retail market, which, for every market is a pre-requisite. Pakistan’s wholesale market design also provides stability and fairness with responsible opening of the market because of the current demand-supply situation in accordance with the policy objectives set by the CCI.

Contrary to the claim that CTBCM suffers from ‘poor design,’ the market framework was developed through a collaborative and evidence-based process. Technical experts including both local and international market specialists, Power Division, CPPA, NEPRA, and NTDC, were involved. In addition, more than ten international electricity markets were studied, incorporating lessons from these jurisdictions into Pakistan’s legal framework, operational, and grid realities. This approach has ensured that the model is both progressive and practical.

The market design features were finalized following extensive multi-stakeholder engagement and robust consultations at each stage coupled with extensive stakeholder involvement and training, from high-level concept development to shadow deployment (test run) of CTBCM framework to test IT systems and rules framed for the competitive market. Keeping in view our local peculiarities, proven mechanisms from global competitive markets were integrated, with every component.

To portray this work just highlighting as ‘poor design’ is professional injustice maybe because of gap in understanding of the writer and contrary to the process adopted based on the international best practices.

Further in this regard, the assertion of “no consultation” is........

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