Bill drafted to establish Pakistan halal authority

ISLAMABAD

The Science and Technology Ministry has drafted a Bill to establish Pakistan halal authority at the federal level to promote trade and commerce in Halal articles and processes.
The bill prepared in consultation with stakeholders would ensure implementation of uniform Halal standards and soon be submitted to the cabinet for approval.
Official sources on Thursday said a state-of-the-art halal authentication laboratory has been inaugurated at the Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR), Lahore while the Ministry is also planning to organize Halal Sector Development Expert Group meeting in the context of D-8 (Developing-8 countries) organizations soon.
The sources said currently the recognised forum for Halal accreditation and development of harmonized Halal standards is organisation of Islamic Countries-Standards Metrology Institute for Islamic Countries (OIC-SMIIC).
The organisations concerned under the administrative control of the Science and Technology Ministry namely the Pakistan National Accreditation Council (PNAC) and Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) are members of the relevant Technical Committees of SMIIC.
Highlighting the steps taken to promote the Halal sector, the sources said PNAC has launched Halal Accreditation Scheme in line with OIC Halal Guidelines developed by SMIIC for recognition of Halal products in the global market to help local industry to boost exports.
Similarly, PSQCA has formulated standards on Halal which are: General Requirements for the Accreditation Body Accrediting Halal Certification Bodies, Halal Food Management System requirements for any organization in the food chain and general criteria for operation of Halal certification bodies.