ISLAMABAD: The federal government has sidelined Pakistan’s legally mandated national standards body, the Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA), by assigning the authority to regulate vehicle safety and quality standards to the Engineering Development Board (EDB), a policy facilitation agency with no regulatory mandate.
Through the proposed Motor Vehicles Industry Development Act, 2025, the Ministry of Industries and Production has empowered the EDB to enforce internationally recognized safety and environmental standards on imported and locally assembled vehicles. While the move is being hailed as a step toward aligning Pakistan with global norms such as the UNECE WP-29 Regulations, it has triggered a storm of criticism for bypassing PSQCA, which under an Act of Parliament is the only national standards body recognized by law and by international practice.
PSQCA, an autonomous body under the Ministry of Science and Technology, is Pakistan’s official member of global platforms such as ISO and pays annual fees to ensure international representation. Over the years, it has developed standards for automotive safety components and approved agreements with international laboratories to carry out conformity assessments. Insiders point out that PSQCA had already introduced type-approval procedures and signed recognition agreements with accredited global labs, placing it on track to enforce compliance.
“This is blatant institutional overreach,” said a senior official at the Ministry of Science and Technology. “By law, the mandate for standardization, inspections, and conformity assessments rests exclusively with PSQCA. Handing it over to EDB is not just administratively flawed, it is legally unsound.”
Industry observers say the automobile lobby has long preferred to work through the EDB due to its favorable stance, despite criticism of poor safety, high prices, and low localization in Pakistan’s auto sector. Granting EDB regulatory powers, critics warn, risks further weakening consumer safeguards while shielding manufacturers from accountability.
Legal experts also caution that Pakistan, as a signatory to the WTO Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Agreement, is obligated to avoid overlapping mandates. International standardization bodies including ISO recognize only one standards authority per country, reinforcing PSQCA’s primacy. “Creating a parallel regulator undermines Pakistan’s credibility internationally and invites legal challenges,” a legal analyst explained.
As the new law moves towards parliamentary approval, the tug-of-war between PSQCA and EDB has overshadowed the government’s narrative of consumer protection. Unless the draft is amended to reaffirm PSQCA’s central role, observers warn, the reform could end up serving manufacturers’ interests at the expense of independent oversight and public safety.
