World Standards Day: Message from Engr. Muhammad Ashraf Palari, Director Standards, PSQCA

The Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) proudly joins the global community in celebrating World Standards Day on October 14, 2025. This day highlights the essential role that standards play in promoting quality, safety, interoperability, and innovation across dynamic sectors of the economy.

World Standards Day also pays tribute to the thousands of dedicated experts — in Pakistan and worldwide — who contribute to the development of voluntary standards through esteemed international and regional organizations such as ISO, IEC, ITU, SARSO, SMIIC, and RISCAM. Their collaborative work is instrumental in making our world more efficient, safer, and more sustainable.

In 2025, the theme of World Standards Day — “Shared Vision for a Better World: Standards for Sustainable Development” — underscores the critical role that standards play in advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). From clean energy and responsible production to climate action and resilient infrastructure and quantum technology, international standards serve as essential tools, offering scalable and practical solutions that drive meaningful progress across sectors and national borders.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aim to address social inequalities, foster a sustainable global economy, and curb the pace of climate change. Achieving these ambitious goals will demand strong collaboration between public and private sectors, along with the effective use of all available tools — notably, international standards and conformity assessments.

The Standards are more than just technical documents — they serve as a shared language that fosters trust, bridges gaps between stakeholders, and accelerates transformative change. Whether you’re an engineer, policymaker, entrepreneur, or consumer, standards influence every aspect of life and empower us all to build a more inclusive and sustainable better future together.

During my tenure as Director Standards, the Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) successfully developed and adopted a comprehensive range of national standards, bringing the total number to 25,311. These standards were strategically aimed at enhancing quality, safety, and sustainability across multiple key sectors — including Food and Agriculture, Health and Safety, Energy and Environment, Construction and Engineering, and Information Technology.

To ensure inclusivity and transparency in the standardization process, the Directorate of Standards actively engaged stakeholders through comprehensive consultations on key standards under development. Moreover, close collaboration with industry associations and integration with chambers of commerce further aligned these standards with national priorities and industry needs.

This achievement marks a significant evolution in the role of standards as a driving force for sustainable development and a better future for Pakistan, aligning closely with both national priorities and international best practices.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025