Consumer Rights Commission of Pakistan (CRCP) in collaboration with Liberal Forum Pakistan organised a seminar in an Islamabad hotel on Quality Standards and Consumer Concerns on World Standards Day. Every year October 14 is observed as World Standards Day through out the world to promote quality standards of products and services.

A wide range of people belonging to all walks of life including intellectuals, academics, government officials, civil, society activists, students, educationists and representatives from regulatory bodies, etc. attended the seminar. 
The seminar was presided over by Abdul Rashid, Joint Technological Advisor Ministry of Science and Technology. Other speakers who presented their papers on the occasion included Arno Keller (Resident Representative, Friedrich Nauman Stiftung), Salman Humayun (CRCP), Dr Asif Qayyum Qureshi, (Sustainable Development Policy Institute – SDPI), Mukhtar Ahmed (CRCP) and Barrister Sarwar Khan, an eminent lawyer. Sarah Javed (Liberal Forum) was moderator of the seminar.

Salman Humayun introduced the concept of consumer and said that the state of consumer protection is quite dismal in A lot needs to be done in this regard. He told the participants that quality standards are a criterion to assess a product or service with regard to safety, performance and its environmental impact. He said that Pakistan Standards Institution (PSI), the only government body responsible for standardisation of products, has so far standardised only 41 items and it has only 21 field officers to enforce quality standards in the whole country. Apart from this infra-structural problem, there is no consumer representation in the technical board of PSI, he added.

He mentioned that certain brands of Ghee sold presently in the market are melt at 42 degrees centigrade, whereas a normal human body’s temperature is 37 degrees. He further said that PSI has been repealed under article 36 of the Pakistan Standards & Quality Control Authority Act 1996. However, the most pathetic thing is that this authority has not been established so far. It means that Pakistan does not have any official body to make and enforce quality standards for the last three years. 
Addressing the seminar, Arno Keller stressed on the need of consumer protection in the country. He said that the very concept of consumer protection is lacking in many third world countries. He presented liberal ideas by which an active civil society can watch both market and state practices. He was of the view that the quality standards and consumer protection was not the sole responsibility of the state but also of the people. Therefore, apart from the state, civil society must create consciousness among the people regarding consumer protection. Arno also lamented the role of certain MNCs of the developed world playing havoc with the life and health of the people of developing countries by marketing their banned products to them. He highlighted the need for socially responsible business in order to guarantee safety to consumers in terms of health and environment. 

Abdul Rashid said that the government and civil society must work together to ensure standards and their implementation to accord a fairer and just bargain and treatment to the consumers. Talking about the Pakistan Standards & Quality Control Authority, he told the participants that certain amendments have been suggested to the Act. That’s why the authority has not been established so far. However, he hoped that the Authority would soon come into being and ensure the enforcement of quality standards in the country. Appreciating the struggle and role of CRCP for consumer protection, he looked forward to future collaboration with civil society organisations to ensure quality standards. He also stressed the need for awareness raising about quality standards among the masses, which he deemed essential for effective consumer protection in the society. 

Dr Asif Qayyum Qureshi presented concerns about pharmaceutical and power sectors. He highlighted certain problems in pharmaceutical sector like nonavailability of life-saving drugs, high prices, and adulteration in medicines and drugs. He also presented a comparative analysis of the prices of various medicines in India and Having pointed out the cheap prices of drugs in India he asked why medicines at cheap rates could not be available in He also briefly talked about different layers of standards like ISO 9000, 9001, 9002 etc. He was of the view that essential commodities in Pakistan are rarely covered by any standards in He stressed on the need to ensure and enforce quality standards in Pakistan just like other developed countries.

Barrister Sarwar Khan deliberated on the legal aspects of standardisation and legislation in Offering a critique on Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Act 1996, he said that the Act is selective, inadequate and lacks comprehensive arrangements to address the consumer concerns.

He said that consumers who have their major stake in products and services are given no representation in the Board under the Act. He told the participants that only one consumer representative has been given representation in the Advisory Board under the Act, which is inadequate. He stressed the need of having comprehensive consumer-centric legislation in the country pertaining to quality standards, which he considered essential for ensuring and encouraging improved quality of life by contributing to safety, health and environment. 

Mukhtar Ahmed talked about the International Standards (ISO) and consumer concerns. He said that the most important thing from consumers’ point of view is safety of their health and life. Making a critical remark on ISO, he added that the accreditation by ISO 9000 or like is actually not a symbol of quality as perceived by most of the people. Rather it is indicative of certain standards in management and a sign of consistency in specifications. Therefore, portraying ISO as quality standards is like hoodwinking the consumers. He added that certain standards in ISO do not take into account the weaker position of consumers i.e. certain technicalities involved in the manufacture of products. He also presented some important clauses of the charter of CI (Consumers International) dealing with product standards, information and labelling of products, complaints and guarantees. He summed up his paper by stressing upon the consumers to be always conscious and at guards against any unethical practices by the manufactures of products and caterers of services. 

At the end of the seminar Salman Humayun thanked the speakers and all participants to make the seminar a success. He hoped that Pakistan Standard and Quality Control Authority would soon be established and enforce quality standards in the country. 

The author is the secretary general of Consumer Rights Commission of Pakistan (CRCP), Islamabad.