PSQCA Approves Reforms for Staff, Trade, Sustainability

Islamabad, July 12, 2025, 04:46 PM PKT — In a landmark high-level meeting, Federal Minister for Science and Technology Khalid Hussain Magsi chaired the 35th PSQCA Board of Directors session, approving sweeping reforms to overhaul the Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA), enhance staff welfare, and drive digital modernisation, attended by PSQCA Director General Rizwan Ahmed Sheikh, Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) Executive Director General Muhammad Ashraf, and senior officials. The focus was on strengthening systems, improving service delivery, and aligning with national and global trade and sustainability goals.

Immediate actions include regularising employees, releasing long-pending salaries for BS-01 to BS-04 staff, approving incentive shares, and extending 2004 Medical Attendance Rules benefits, offering critical financial relief. To cut costs and boost sustainability, the Board sanctioned solar power systems for all PSQCA centres and the Karachi head office, supporting government climate goals. On trade facilitation, an MoU with the UK’s Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) was cleared to ease exports and enhance food product competitiveness, while a Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) with a foreign automobile testing lab signals global technical collaboration.

Digital modernisation advances with SAP enterprise software for Accounts, Finance, and HR, aiming for transparency and efficiency, alongside new operational vehicles (pending Finance Division Austerity Committee approval). Minister Magsi praised the PSQCA team, urging swift, transparent execution to boost service delivery, institutional trust, and public confidence, aligning with the government’s reform agenda. Web context highlights digitalisation efforts (e.g., 20% efficiency gains), while posts found on X show optimism—some welcome welfare moves, others question funding. Critically, the narrative of “institutional uplift” may mask implementation hurdles—web data points to budget constraints, and X sentiment suggests distrust in timely delivery, hinting at potential delays.