ISLAMABAD, Aug 6: President Pervez Musharraf on Saturday promulgated the Pakistan Engineering Council (Second Amendment) Ordinance, 2005, requiring the council to constitute an accreditation committee, including a representative of the Higher Education Commission (HEC), to recognize engineering and technology universities in the country.

The criterion for a comprehensive accreditation programme was approved by the HEC in consultation with the PEC earlier.

Under the ordinance, the curricula of different disciplines of engineering and technology institutions would be scrutinized by the accreditation committee.

The committee will be responsible for the inspection of examinations held by the engineering and technology institutions. Its members will act as inspectors of examinations and their reports will be submitted to the governing body of the council through the committee.

The council will maintain a register to enter names and other particulars of persons possessing accredited engineering and technology qualifications to be registered as engineers, professional engineers, consulting engineers, technologists, technicians, constructors and operators.

Unless registered with the committee, no person will hold any post in any engineering organization to perform professional engineering works.

Professional engineering work, under the ordinance, has been defined as giving of professional opinion, making measurements and layouts, preparation of reports, computations, designs, drawings, plans and specification, construction, inspection and supervision of engineering works like railways, aerodrome, bridges, tunnels and metalled roads, dams, canals, harbour and light houses.

They also include residential and non-residential buildings, including electrical and mechanical system, imparting or promotion of engineering education, training and planning, designing, development construction, commissioning, operation, maintenance and management of engineering works in respect of computer, environment, chemical, structures, industrial, production, marine and naval architecture, petroleum and gas, metallurgical, agricultural, telecommunication, avionics and space, transportation, air-conditioning, ventilation, cold storage works, system engineering, electronics, radio and television, civil engineering, electrical, mechanical and biomedical etc.