The firm appointed to the role was M/s KPMG Taseer & Hadi Co., the Pakistani affiliate of the global KPMG network. Official sources maintain that the engagement is institutional in nature, belonging to the local firm Taseer & Hadi Co. rather than to KPMG’s global network specifically. The international spine that likely gave KPMG Taseer & Hadi Co. its decisive advantage in the selection process is now absent. The CCP approved KPMG Taseer & Hadi Co. because it met a specific threshold of expertise, independence, and international competence. Pakistan’s biggest merger deserves a watchdog that matches what the CCP originally approved, not a quietly downgraded version of it.