PSQCA Leaderless For Past 3 Years

The Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA), responsible for regulating the quality of products in the country, has been exposed as a toothless institution, marred by corruption, inefficiency, and an alarming lack of leadership. For over three years, this critical agency has been functioning without a permanent Director General, allowing substandard and harmful products to freely penetrate the market under the fake PSQCA logo, wreaking havoc on public health and the national economy. As PSQCA falters, the public is left to face a market flooded with unsafe, low-quality goods that carry counterfeit PSQCA certifications. Sources reveal that the authority has lost its grip due to rampant corruption, with its officials issuing certifications from the comfort of their desks rather than conducting field inspections. The situation is so dire that PSQCA, once a beacon of consumer protection, has become an enabler of market deception, costing the government millions in lost revenues from marking and license fees. Insiders claim the real issue is an entrenched culture of bribery and inefficiency. Instead of cracking down on violators, PSQCA officials issue clean bills of health to products without ever stepping foot in the field. What’s worse, brands whose trademarks were seized by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) for large-scale tax evasion, and whose PSQCA licenses were revoked, continue to churn out fake products through third parties. Despite their illegal status, these brands remain on store shelves, a testament to PSQCA’s negligence. A brief attempt to restore order was made when PSQCA initiated action against violators some time ago, but sources suggest political interference and internal corruption quickly derailed the effort. PSQCA’s absence in the field has been so blatant that some factories continue to use revoked licenses to operate openly, contributing to national revenue losses in the billions. Insiders attribute this to political interference, which has turned the appointment of a new Director General into a prolonged bureaucratic tug-of-war. Recently the Establishment Division has also raised objections over the selection process for the appointment of the Director General PSQCR however reportedly Ministry of Science and Technology addressed the queries regarding the proposed candidates.