by furqanTo resolve regulatory overlap in automotive environmental, safety, and quality standards, a ministry proposal has urged the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) to align past decisions with the statutory mandate of the Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) under the PSQCA Act 1996 and Rules of Business 1973.
The ministry requested the ECC to issue the following corrective directives:
- Modify ECC Decision (Sept 24, 2025): Revisit and amend the earlier decision regarding auto standards, testing, and certification to eliminate functional duplication with the PSQCA.
- Amend Ministry of Commerce Notifications:
- Remove redundant phrases from Clause 11 of SRO 61(1)/2026 (Jan 15, 2026).
- Amend Clause (xvi) of SRO 1895 (Sept 30, 2025) by removing text that overlaps with PSQCA functions.
- Withdraw the decision from the March 16, 2026 meeting requiring the PSQCA to seek a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Engineering Development Board (EDB) to register Pre-Shipment Inspection (PSI) agencies. The proposal emphasized that PSQCA holds exclusive statutory authority under Section 8(xxiii) and SRO 2443 (Dec 16, 2025) to register PSI agencies.
- Withdraw Ministry of Industries Notification: Direct the Ministry of Industries and Production to retract notification EDB/Auto/Import/WP-29/2025 (Sept 30, 2025) regarding environmental, safety, and quality standards for imported vehicles.