In a recent development, Minister of Science and Technology, Fawad Chaudhary saw a twitter user question him about the issues pertaining to quality standards in the automotive sector. This was after the Ministry tweeted about the meeting between the Minister and the Japanese Ambassador Kuninori Matsuda, whereby work opportunities for youth and up-gradation of the educational institutions were discussed.
Fawad Chaudhry responded to the twitter user by saying,
The standards for vehicles made in Pakistan have been set. The initial standards will be submitted to the cabinet for approval within a month. I believe that it was a very difficult task. There were many obstacles placed in my way, but I will do what I set out to do.
The Pakistani automotive industry has been dominated by three automakers for a number of decades, and they still don’t provide basic safety features that should be available in all models. You can only get them as a feature in high-end vehicles in our market. Given that fact, the public is certainly right to voice their reservations pertaining to the quality and safety standards.
However, the government is seemingly getting up to paces with the international standards, since in the most recent development, the government ordered all the Oil Marketing Companies (OMC) and automakers of Pakistan to comply with the EURO-5 standard of fuel.
There has been a lot of resistance from both sectors, despite which, Pakistan State Oil (PSO), a state-owned OMC, has already installed a EURO-5 fuel station in Karachi. The said development serves as a testament to the fact that the wheels might finally be turning in the right direction.
