The Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority, under the Ministry of Science and Technology, is the national standard body. In performing its duties and functions, PSQCA is governed by the PSQCA Act-VI of 1996 .
The main function of the Department is to foster and promote standards and conformity assessment as a means of advancing the national economy, promoting industrial efficiency and development, ensuring the health and safety of the public, protecting the consumers, facilitating domestic and international trade and furthering international co-operation in relation to standards and conformity assessment.
In fact Compulsory Certification is the mandate of PSQCA therein 78 Nos. of different Products (Foods & Non-Foods) are being monitored.
Voluntary Certification:
In 2008 PSQCA lounged Voluntary Certification Scheme to Protect Consumer Rights for those items which were not covered through Mandatory Certification.
Through this Scheme , PSQCA facilitated different manufacturers to manufacture or Process their Products as per Recognized Standards to increase the credibility of the products in local Markets by showing Pakistan Standard Mark on the packing of the Product along with Pakistan Standard Number.
Further , PSQCA also offers all manufacturers in the Country to increase their Export by Certifying their Products on International Standard so as they would be able to compete in International Market easily.
PSQCA has issued about 150 Nos of Licenses to different manufacturers in the Country through Voluntary Certification Scheme , some famous or well known Products/ brands are , Sharbat Rooh Afza , Olper's Milk , Tarang Tea Whitener, Haleeb Milk , Dawn Bread , Slice Drink,Pakola Milk , Singer Sewing Machine , Dadex Pipes , Steelex GI Pipes, Gaba Agro Fertilizer, M-Tech Power Transformers & Switchgears , Service Tyrs & Tubes , etc.
When manufacturers uses irrelevant or non-recognized Standards then they receives un due losses and as a result produces sub-standard Products. PSQCA continually conducting market Survey and sampling of un-registered items and gets test results according to relevant and recognized Standards or Pakistan Standards to provide guide lines to the manufacturers through Voluntary Conformity Assessment .
PSQCA has appointed qualified Professional Officers having Engineering Degrees or Masters in Science subjects to create boost in the Field of Standardization , Certification and Testing by also providing Trainings in their fields.
Mostly Manufacturers are being exported their products to European , Gulf and other countries without having Product Certification (other than 78 items of Compulsory Products ) therefore PSQCA has signed MoUS with different Countries to export Certified Products to discourage non-certified products manufacturing in the country.
Mostly developed countries are doing Voluntary Certification as their manufacturers and consumers are well aware about the importance of Product Certification.
PSQCA continually, delivering messages through media and in Seminars to the general people of Pakistan about importance of Product Certification and role of PSQCA to control quality activities of manufacturers in Pakistan.
This Office , Offers all manufacturers in Pakistan that come to my office and apply Voluntarily for Product Certification of their items and get consumer faiths by using Pakistan Standard Mark on the Packing of the Product.