Message from Director General PSQCA

It is a matter of pleasure for PSQCA to take part in the "Worlds Standard Day", which is being celebrated annually by one hundred and forty seven ISO member countries with a view to create awareness about the importance and impact of standards on our life.
The theme for this year is "Standards for Safer World" which is more relevant when our ecosystem and biodiversity are at stake. The standards are to make life easier, comfortable, secure and convenient. The key concepts are safety, regularity, protection of future, reassurance and ultimately happiness of those who are inhabiting the globe.
The theme for 2005 suggests urgent need to look forward and make future safer not for ourselves but for the coming generations also. In pursuance of the Prime Minister's recent directive on safe drinking water, the PSQCA has launched special media campaign to ensure availability of safe bottled drinking water by the manufacturers and to create awareness in the masses about the use of quality water.
Standards are essential components of trade, commerce and the diffusion of technology. At present, there are over 100,000 international standards and annually 1000 new standards are added to this list thus implying the need for development of Metrology, Standards, Testing and Quality (MSTQ) infrastructure. The Government of Pakistan in view of the important role of Metrology, Standards, Testing and Quality (MSTQ) infrastructure that provide an essential building block for industrial development in the country, established this Authority in 1996. The PSQCA Act provides statutory basis for one-window services for standardisation and quality control services through the following institutional arrangements:
Standard Development Centre (SDC) at Karachi with Regional Offices at Lahore, Peshawar and Quetta.
Quality Control Centre (QCC) at Karachi and Lahore.
Technical Services Centre (TSC) at Lahore.
The PSQCA on its own has already developed more than 4000 Standards and directly adopted about 14,000 International Standards resulting in more than 18,000 so as to facilitate production of quality goods and enable Pakistani manufacturers to sale their products in the foreign markets.
Besides the voluntary certification of several products, 46 items are covered under the Compulsory Marks Scheme by the PSQCA for the local market which include food items like edible oil, banaspati, biscuit, bottled drinking water, beverages and other items like electrical cable, bulb, tube light, motorcycles and auto rickshaws.
It is a well-known fact that everyone gains from standardisation, whether the standards adopted are voluntary or compulsory. Standardisation raises levels of quality and reliability; and provides the consumer confidence in products and services; greater consistency and efficiency in the delivery of services; operational compatibility of products.
The standards ensure that products are safe and more environmental friendly, and enable greater access to markets and result in providing wider choice for consumers. Adopting international standards for goods and services is bound to improve product quality and to enhance our ability to compete in the global market.
The PSQCA, in order to fulfil its multifaceted obligations under the Act, is presently engaged in capacity building measures through an integrated approach of a number of development projects under the National Quality Policy & Plan and with international donor agencies.
The PSQCA Facilitation Centres are being set-up in various industrial clusters of the country to provide at the door facility of technical advice and how to meet the standard requirements of products in the international market.
The PSQCA is also poised to setup Pakistan Certification Body (ISO 9000, ISO 14000, HACCP and SA 8000) as Public/Private enterprise with the collaboration of Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry as a quality tool to Pakistani Trade and Industry in gaining local/foreign market access. The establishment of the Consumer Liaison Office at PSQCA is under execution to create a sense of transparency and reliability in the process of standardisation and product/system certification by involving the consumers who are the main stakeholders.
On this "World Standards Day" the PSQCA commits itself to meet the future challenges by channelising all the available resources and capabilities. The PSQCA through its improved MSTQ infrastructure intends to play proactive role protect not only the consumers' rights but is ready to facilitate the flourishing industrial sector to compete in the global market on the basis of standards products.