ISLAMABAD: Though the federal cabinet and relevant forums have approved the development of a National Standard Committee (NSC) for locally manufactured and assembled cars and their parts, the implementation on the same is facing delay for lack of consensus among stakeholders.
The relevant ministries and automotive firms are yet to develop a consensus for implementing the approved standards.
An official at the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) claims that the automotive firms are even reluctant to accept the formation of the National Standard Committee (NSC), a body formed under the Pakistan Standards Rules 2008. The reluctance of the automotive firms to accept NSC is causing delays in the execution of the standard, an initiative taken for the first time in Pakistan to ensure the quality and standard of vehicles.
The Pakistan Automotive Manufacturers Association (PAMA), the only representative of the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), on the other hand, claimed that the Ministry had not addressed their reservations about NSC. PAMA argued that the constitution of NSC is clearly spelled out in section 4 of the Pakistan Standards Rules 2008, and any lawfully constituted body needs to follow these rules.
Through a letter sent to the ministry recently, PAMA further argued that Pakistan Association of Auto Parts and Accessories Manufacturers (PAAPAM) is the only representative body of the large and vibrant vending industry of the country, which is also duly registered with the Director-General of Trade Organizations (DGTO). The vending industry is subject specialists and has long been recognized in this role and has been accorded their rightful place on the NSC over the years as subject specialists.
According to the letter of PAMA, NSC was unilaterally reconstituted by the Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA), and the rightful representation was denied to PAMA and PAAPAM members. The issue of constitution of the NSC was taken up with PSQCA time and again. Various letters and emails on the subject are on record. A meeting was arranged on July 04, 2022, with Mohammad Ashraf Palari, Director Standardization, Ali Bux Soomro, Director Conformity Assessment and Eng. Benazir Faizi, Assistant Director Incharge Automotive Division BT QCA.
A breakthrough was achieved in this meeting between PAMA and PSQCA, whereby PSQCA agreed to accommodate only four members in NSC while three others were agreed to be co-opted to NSC.
On July 06, 2022, PAMA received an official notice of NSC meeting from PSQCA in which the members participated as decided in the said meeting. However, the attitude of NSC was extremely hostile towards PAMA members who joined the meeting. They were told by the NSC members that since there was no notification of membership of OEMs, therefore, they should not be allowed to attend the meeting. It was also said that, in the presence of PAMA members, things of importance cannot be discussed.
“The derogatory behavior displayed by the NSC members was prohibitive for any constructive and technical discussion. The hostile attitude of the infirmly constituted NSC also spoke volumes about how the highly technical matters would be treated going forward,” the association claimed.
The lack of consensus between the government and automotive companies on forming NSC has been causing delays in implementing national standards for locally produced cars and their parts. The issue needs to be resolved soon to ensure the quality and standard of vehicles produced in Pakistan.
It may be mentioned here that early this year the Cabinet Committee on Legislative Cases (CCLC) had approved the proposed safety standards for locally manufactured and assembled vehicles. Following the development, Pakistan Standard and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) in consultation with all stakeholders, which included the manufacturers/assemblers, parts manufacturers, Engineering Development Board (EDB) an arm of the Ministry of Industries, Ministry of Climate Change and others had developed the standard of some parts of the vehicles.
Keeping in view the fact that the Government of Pakistan has acceded to the World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations (WP.29) of United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), it was decided to either formulate local standards based on UN Regulation or directly adopt relevant international regulations.
