ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) has launched a nationwide check on manufacturers and sellers to ensure the standardisation of products available in markets.

The crackdown targets not only substandard products but unlicensed goods as well, with the view to ensure conformity to national standards.

Director General Dr Syeda Zia Batool, who recently took charge of the authority, made the decision to initiate action across all operational zones.

The drive is starting in Lahore and Faisalabad, as these areas serve as the industrial hub for medium-sized manufacturing units, and will expand to other parts of the country.

Drive kicks off in Lahore, Faisalabad industrial hubs

Speaking to Dawn, Ms Batool said one of the key mandates of the authority is to “promote quality culture and enhance awareness about sustainable development through print and electronic media”.

“The traders as well as many manufacturers have developed a culture of selling substandard products, and the benefits of low quality items too is not passed to the buyers,” she said.

Ms Batool said the widespread availability of substandard and unlicensed products discourages good quality production in the country, as compliant companies find it difficult to compete with non-tax paying manufacturers.

As part of the initiative, the Conformity Assessment Lahore Zone launched a large-scale operation targeting a range of unlicensed and harmful items, including various substandard poultry feeds.

Inspection teams de-shelved numerous unregistered and unlicensed brand products from various stores across Lahore.

Store managements have been issued notices demanding an immediate halt to the sale of all illegal and substandard items, with warnings of strict consequences for non-compliance.

The authority has issued 35 formal notices under Section 14 of the PSQCA Act, 1996, to poultry feed manufacturing units operating without the mandatory Certification Mark license and failing to adhere to national standards.

These notices cover units operating in six districts of the Lahore Zone: Sahiwal, Pakpattan, Okara, Sheikhupura, Lahore and Kasur. Manufacturers are now under strict directives to fulfill all PSQCA requirements and obtain the necessary licenses.

The PSQCA was established in 1996. Its main function is to foster and promote standards and conformity assessment as a means of advancing the national economy, promoting industrial efficiency and ensuring the health and safety of the public.

Published in Dawn, December 4th, 2025