PESHAWAR: Federal Minister for Science and Technology, Senator Shibli Faraz informed that the Pakistan National Quality Policy 2021 would be implemented soon to improve functioning of Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) and other quality insurance certification institutions.
The minister was addressing the business community during a meeting, chaired by President of Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) Sherbaz Bilour on 30 August. Speaking on the occasion, the minister said the policy will help in increasing exports and provision of quality products. On the occasion, Bilour stressed the need for introducing Pakistan national quality policy and launching an advanced digital skilled program which can help to generate a skilled workforce and play their role in the development of the national economy.
He went on to say that the youth population is nearly 63 per cent in Pakistan, which has the potential to excel in different fields, but there is need to support and uplift them at every level. He also emphasized the role of the public and private sector for promotion of E-commerce and businesses.
The chamber president emphasized that the PSQCA and Pakistan National Accreditation Council (PNAC) should reach out to the business community for granting certifications to gain access to potential markets of developed countries and as well as PSQCA should also improve inspections so that would also help to enhance exports. Similarly, he also stressed the need for improving the function of Pakistan Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR) in order to assist industries in testing and relevant credentials.
The Minister said that the ‘state of the art’ and specialized quality testing laboratories would be established to eliminate manufacturing of sub-standard products. While keeping in view the reservation of the business community, he on the occasion, informed that the PSQCA headquarters would be shifted from Karachi to Islamabad. He stated that the federal government is keen to set international standards for quality production of vehicles in the country with priority to their safety.
Acknowledging the importance of training for improving quality of manufacturing products, the minister said the government has planned to outsource all quality testing laboratories across the country. Highlighting the importance of rich mine and mineral reserves, Shibli Faraz informed that proper research and mapping of natural deposits would be conducted to exploit these natural resources in an efficient manner for attracting investment and earning huge foreign exchange.
The minister informed that a triangle of government, industries and academics would be created to improve standard of manufacturing products as well as providing of young graduates for training/internship in industries for their prosperous future. He said the incumbent government is keenly focused on development of technology and software. In this regard, he added the policy and mechanism would be designed by taking relevant stakeholders. While talking about the political issues, the Minister said that the elections have always remained controversial, which has created political instability in the country. He added the time has come to adopt such a way that would be acceptable to both losers and winners in the elections.
He said the next general elections in 2023 will be held through technology, saying that the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) is a first step toward journey, because holding transparent, fair, impartial and independent is inevitable for strengthening democracy in the country, he stressed. We thought that the political parties and other relevant stakeholders will judge the importance of EVM and they should identify technical errors or glitches, instead of rejecting it without examining, the minister said.
The Minister invited political parties to examine EVM through their experts if any reservations and objects that would be addressed accordingly. He said now all issues would be resolved through using modern technologies. He highlighted the role of opposition parties in making the EVM successful.
Talking about giving rights of smaller provinces, the Minister said the incumbent government is keen to provide due rights to small federating units, saying that they are taking up issues of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa seriously and in this regard, CM KP, Chief Secretary and provincial minister for finance were taken on board, he informed.