Accreditation system: Senate panel clears Halal Authority Bill

National Assembly has already passed the legislation

ISLAMABAD:

The Senate’s Standing Committee on Science and Technology approved on Monday the Pakistan Halal Authority Bill for regulation of all imports and exports in Halal articles and processes.

The parliamentary panel was told that Pakistan wanted to establish its own accreditation system for Halal foods instead of relying on the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and its recommendations.

“Pakistan, along with other Muslim countries, is against it,” said Pakistan National Accreditation Council (PNAC) Director General Ismat Gul Khattak while addressing the standing committee.



In March, he said, the council would organise a conference of Islamic scholars to determine which items and ingredients are acceptable under the Islamic laws. While the list of haram – or taboo under the Islamic laws – items is long, Khattak told the committee mechanical slaughtering was also unacceptable in Pakistan.

Interestingly, non-Muslim countries dominate the international Halal food business worth trillions of dollars. Pakistan takes only a nominal share of this huge export potential owing to lack of legal and recognised authority at the national level dealing with the sector.

Estimates by the science and technology ministry suggest Brazil is the largest player exporting $4.73 billion worth of halal products to Muslim countries. India’s Halal exports stand at $2.11 billion while Australia stands third with $1.63 billion worth of exports.

The panel’s chairman, Osman Saifullah Khan, told The Express Tribune that the bill would help the government check the menace of adulteration in foodstuffs, which is common in Pakistan.

“It will help rebuild the trust of consumers, who are concerned at the provenance of foodstuffs, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, etc, and whether these have been prepared in accordance with, and conform to, Islamic principles,” he said. “Consumers can now make more informed choices. It is also the first step towards helping Pakistan secure a larger share in the huge global markets for halal food, particularly meat and poultry.”

Already the bill has been passed by the National Assembly and will become a law with the approval of the Senate.

Once enacted, no article or process shall be exported from Pakistan unless it bears the halal logo of the proposed authority. Similarly, no article or process shall be imported into Pakistan unless it has been certified as Halal by an accredited certification body in Pakistan or the exporting country.



The bill has also defined penalties for improper use of the authority’s name, mark or logo. A convict shall be punishable with imprisonment of three year or Rs1 million fine.

Though the bill was passed without any hurdle, only two members attended the meeting in addition to the committee’s chairman.

According to the rules, two members and chairman make the quorum required for holding the meeting and passing a bill.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 26^th,  2016.