PSQCA launches nationwide crackdown on substandard and unlicensed products

The Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) has begun a nationwide enforcement campaign against substandard and unlicensed products, initiating inspections in industrial centres and directing manufacturers to comply with national standards. 

The crackdown began in Lahore and Faisalabad, identified as key industrial hubs for medium-sized manufacturing units, and will extend to other regions. 

According to Director General Dr Syeda Zia Batool, the authority’s mandate includes promoting a quality culture and awareness about sustainable development, adding that traders and manufacturers had developed a pattern of selling low-quality products without passing any benefit to consumers. 

She warned that unlicensed and substandard goods undermine compliant businesses that pay taxes and follow national standards.

Under the drive, the Conformity Assessment Lahore Zone launched a large-scale operation targeting unregistered and hazardous items, including substandard poultry feeds. Inspection teams removed multiple unlicensed brands from markets in Lahore and issued warnings to retailers instructing them to immediately halt the sale of unlawful goods. Store owners were cautioned that failure to comply would invite strict penalties.

The authority has so far issued 35 notices under Section 14 of the PSQCA Act, 1996, to poultry-feed manufacturers operating without the mandatory Certification Mark licence. These include units located across six districts in the Lahore Zone—Sahiwal, Pakpattan, Okara, Sheikhupura, Lahore and Kasur. Manufacturers have been directed to meet all licensing requirements and adhere strictly to national standards.