ISLAMABAD: The accreditation of all 15 laboratories of Pakistan Standard and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) has been suspended by the Pakistan National Accreditation Council (PNAC).

As a result, the fate of samples collected by PSQCA from companies seeking certificates and conformity reports remains unclear.

PSQCA is an attached department of the Ministry of Science and Technology. It has now started referring the tests to private labs accredited by the Pakistan National Accreditation Council (PNAC).

The PNAC is responsible for regulating and accrediting laboratories and other certification bodies. The accreditation of all the 15 PSQCA labs has been suspended due to deficiencies such as inadequate machinery, lack of technical staff and not meeting the specified requirements.

The website of PNAC shows that all PSQCA labs, including nine in Karachi and four in Lahore, have lost accreditation.

PNAC Director General Asmat Gul Khttak confirmed that PSQCA labs were currently not accredited, however, there may be one or two exceptions. But the overall situation was that the PSQCA was not meeting the required standards. The suspended PSQCA labs were designed to issue quality certificates in a vast range of products, including services in microbiology, instruments, water, sugar, oil and fat, animal feeds, textile, cement etc.

Meanwhile, responding to a query, Dr Tahira, Director of Quality Control Centre (QCC) Karachi, said the overall situation at PSQCA was a result of the absence of a regular director general and secretary. Lack of budget and technical staff led to the suspension by the PNAC.

The PSQCA, the country’s primary national standards setting agency, is responsible for maintaining standards for industrial and consumer products, including edible items. It enforces quality and environmental management systems like ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 14000 and assists local industries in obtaining certifications for these systems.

Recently, the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) too had issued warnings to the PSQCA for not paying its annual subscription fees and lack of responsiveness to communications, and threatened to suspend the PSQCA. However, the subscription fee was paid by the science ministry after getting approval from the cabinet.

Published in Dawn, September 13th, 2023