PESHAWAR: Federal Minister for Science and Technology, Senator Shibli Faraz informed that the Pakistan National Quality Policy (PNQP-2021), which was recently assent by the federal cabinet, would be implemented soon for enhancement exports for the progress of the national economy and provision of quality products as well as improve the functioning of Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) and other quality insurance certification institutions in the country.
The minister was addressing the members of the business community here during a meeting, chaired by the Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) President Sherbaz Bilour at the chamber house on Monday.
Speaking on the occasion, Bilour stressed the need of launching an advanced digital skilled program that 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 a need to support and uplift them at every level. He also emphasized the role of the public and private sectors in the 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 the Pakistan Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR) to assist industries in testing and relevant credentials.
Bilour called to find more water resources to boost up the agriculture sector.
The meeting was attended by ANP former senator Ilyas Ahmad Bilour, SCCI Senior Vice President Manzoor Elahi, former president Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FPCCI) Ghazanfar Bilour, former presidents Faiz Muhammad Faizi, Zahidullah Shinwari, Malik Niaz Ahmad, former vice presidents Abidullah Yousafzai and Javed Akhtar, executive members Muhammad Naeem Butt, Muhammad Aurangzeb, Waqar Ahmad, Minhajuddin, Rashid Iqbal Siddique, Fazl e Wahid, Saddar Gul, Faiz Rasool, Sohail Javed, Naeem Qasmi, member Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry (WCCI) executive committee Qurtul Ain, industrialists, traders, exporters and importers.
The minister said that the ‘state of the art’ and specialized quality testing laboratories would be established to eliminate the 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 the 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, Faraz informed that proper research and mapping of natural deposits would be conducted to exploit these natural resources efficiently for attracting investment and earning huge foreign exchange.
The minister informed that a triangle of government, industries and academics would be created to improve the standard of manufacturing products as well as providing young graduates with training/internships in industries for their prosperous future.
He said the incumbent government is keenly focused on the 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 the first step toward the 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 them without examining, the minister said.
The minister invited political parties to examine EVM through their experts if any reservations and objects 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 (KP) seriously and in this regard, Chief Minister (CM) KP, Chief Secretary and provincial minister for finance were taken on board, he informed
