Pakistan tobacco firm sues rival accused of making counterfeits

Pakistan’s Walton Tobacco Company has filed a lawsuit against an unlicensed firm it accuses of manufacturing counterfeits of its branded products.

A report in the Daily Times suggests that the illegal company is based in Muzaffarabad – the capital of the Pakistan-administered territory of Azad Jammu and Kashmir – and Mirpur-based Walton says that the flood of fakes in the market is damaging its reputation and causing customer complaints.

“Our consumers have trust in our brand, and we are also paying millions of rupees in taxes to the government annually,” a spokesperson told the news website, implying that the copycat company isn’t doing so. Walton Tobacco has been operating in Pakistan since 1990.