PSQCA Launches Nationwide Crackdown on Substandard, Unlicensed Products

The Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) has launched a nationwide enforcement drive against manufacturers and sellers producing or marketing substandard and unlicensed products, aiming to ensure strict compliance with national quality standards.

Director General Dr. Syeda Zia Batool, who recently assumed charge, ordered the crackdown across all operational zones.

The operation has begun in the industrial hubs of Lahore and Faisalabad and will expand to other regions in the coming weeks.

Dr. Batool told the sources that one of the PSQCA’s core mandates is to promote a “quality culture” and raise public awareness about sustainable development.

She noted that many traders and manufacturers continue to sell low-quality products, often without passing on any cost savings to consumers, creating an uneven playing field for compliant businesses.

The availability of substandard and unlicensed products, she said, harms both the economy and responsible manufacturers, who struggle to compete with non-taxpaying producers.

As part of the initiative, the Conformity Assessment Lahore Zone has carried out a major operation targeting unlicensed and harmful products, including various low-quality poultry feeds. Inspection teams removed numerous unregistered brands from store shelves and issued warnings to retailers to immediately halt sales of illegal items.

So far, 35 formal notices have been issued under Section 14 of the PSQCA Act, 1996, to poultry feed units operating without mandatory Certification Mark licenses in Sahiwal, Pakpattan, Okara, Sheikhupura, Lahore, and Kasur.

Manufacturers have been directed to comply with national standards and obtain the required licenses without delay.

Established in 1996, the PSQCA is responsible for developing and enforcing national standards, strengthening industrial efficiency, and ensuring public health and safety through effective quality control mechanisms.