In an unprecedented move, the Cabinet Committee for the Disposal of Legislative Cases (CCLC) approved auto industry safety standards on Friday.
The safety standards will now be submitted for approval to the federal cabinet. Once approved, these regulations will apply to the automotive industry.
The CCLC has approved eight safety standards for locally manufactured vehicles, according to details.
These are the Child Restraint System (PS:5574 and PS:5575), Safety Belts (PS:5578 and PS:5579), Air Bags (PS:5576), Electric PowerTrain for EVs (PS:5550 and PS:5551), and Rider Helmet (PS:5550 and PS:5551) (PS:1402).
The Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) developed these safety standards, which are very similar to Japanese standards.
PSQCA faced enormous challenges in developing national standards for vehicles assembled/manufactured in the country due to three ministries’ overlapping stakes.
The Ministry of Science and Technology, which oversees the PSQCA, the Ministry of Industries, which oversees the auto industry, and the Ministry of Climate Change, which is working to reduce carbon emissions, were among the stakeholders.
According to an official source, the committee discussed a list of standards for various parts developed by Pakistan Standard and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) in consultation with all stakeholders, including manufacturers/assemblers, parts manufacturers, Engineering Development Board (EDB), an arm of the Ministry of Industries, and others.
Previously, there had been disagreements among stakeholders about the safety standards being developed by PSQCA, a Ministry of Science and Technology organisation.
According to documents exclusively available to this scribe, the PSQCA developed a standard of at least eight items out of approximately 30 parts that were required to be developed under an international agreement signed by Pakistan.
According to an official, the safety standards developed thus far are nearly identical to those approved internationally.
During the meeting, committee members also asked PSQCA and other stakeholders to develop standards for remaining vehicle parts in other phases, according to sources.
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