Overlap in auto environmental standards flagged

According to The Express Tribune, the Ministry of Science and Technology wants the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) to revisit and partly reverse its September 24, 2025 decision on environmental, safety and quality rules for imported vehicles. The ministry argues that this decision overlaps with functions already assigned to the Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) under the Rules of Business 1973 and the PSQCA Act 1996. It has also asked that a related notification from the Ministry of Industries and Production be withdrawn.

The ministry told the ECC that the PSQCA, a statutory body under its administrative control, must formulate and notify standards and register inspection bodies. It also wants an EDB no-objection requirement for PSI agency registration withdrawn, noting that SRO 2443 already empowers the authority. It further said a no-objection it had issued on the draft Motor Vehicles Industry Development Act 2025 was withdrawn on April 16, 2026.

The ECC deferred the summary after the Ministry of Industries said a committee chaired by the minister for climate change was already reviewing the issue. The forum directed that relevant ministries be asked for their views before any proposal is sent to the ECC. The ministry also noted that a separate summary on lifting quantitative curbs on commercial used-vehicle imports had been approved by the ECC and ratified by the federal cabinet.