G/TBT/N/PAK/120  
13 May 2020  
(20-3569) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  Original:  English  
 
  NOTIFICATION  
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6  
 
1. Notifying Member:  PAKISTAN   
If applicable, name of local government involved (Article 3.2 and 7.2):   
2. Agency responsible:  Ministry of Commerce & Textile (Commerce Division)  
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers , email and website 
addresses, if available) of agency or authority designated to handle comments 
regarding the notification shall be indicated if different from ab ove:  
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [X], 2.10.1 [   ], 5.6.2 [X], 5.7.1 [   ], other :  
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN  where applicable, otherwise national tariff 
heading. ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable):  All edible 
products (see respective headings of the Order ) 
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:  Statutory 
Regulatory Order (SRO) 237 (I)/2019 dated 19 February 2019 (1 page(s), in English)  
6. Description of content:  S.R.O. 237 (I)/2019. In exercise of the powers conferred by sub -
section (1) of section 3 of the Imports and Exports (Control) Act, 195 0 (XXXIX of 1950), 
the Federal Government has determined that the following further amendments shall be 
made in the Import Policy Order, 2016, namely:  
In the aforesaid Order, in Appendix B, in the Table under Part -I, in column (1), against 
Serial No. 13, i n column (4), - 
a) in clause (iii) for the expression "50% (fifty per cent) of the shelf life, calculated 
from the date of filing of Import General Manifest (IGM)", the expression "66% (2/3rd) 
of the shelf life remaining from the date of manufacturing" shall be substituted; and  
b) after clause (iii), amended as aforesaid, the following clauses shall be inserted, 
namely:  
"(iii a) The ingredients and details of the product (e.g. nutritional facts, usage 
instructions etc.) of the food product s shall be printed in Urdu and English languages 
on the consumer packaging;  
(iii b) The logo of the Halal certification body shall be printed on the consumer 
packaging;  
(iii c) The labelling under clauses (iii a) and (iii b) above shall not be in the form of a 
sticker, overprinting, stamp or scratched labelling;  
(iii d) The shipment shall be accompanied by a 'Halal Certificate' issued by a Halal 
Certification Body, accredited with an Accrediting Body (AB) which is a member of 
International Halal Accreditati on Forum (IHAF) or Standards Metrology Institute for 
Islamic Countries (SMIIC);".  G/TBT/N/PAK/120  
 
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  7. Objective and rationale, including the nature of urgent problems where 
applicable:   
Objective:  
i. To ensure import of healthy, safe and halal food products.  
ii. To enable Pakistani consumers to make informed decisions about their dietary 
choices.  
Rationale: There used to be frequent complaints and media reports that food products with 
a short shelf life,  or that were past their expiration date, were being imported and 
marketed after changing stickers / labels. To check this menace, the requirements of 
minimum shelf life (66%), labeling (to be printed in Urdu and English) and halal 
certification / halal lo go were introduced through the implementation of above referred 
SRO. 
8. Relevant documents:   
1. Copy of the SRO 237(I)/ 2019 dated 19 February 2019 (original version).  
2. Copies of: SRO 438(I)/2019, dated 9 April 2019; SRO 659(I)/2019, dated 27 June 
2019; and SRO 258/2020, dated 26 March 2020.  
3. Two clarifications dated 19 March 2019 and 31 July 2019, issued by the Commerce 
Division in respect of the SRO 237.  
Note: The enforcement of the original SRO 237(I)/2019, dated 19 February 2019 was 
postponed till 1 Ju ly 2019 and the operation of Clause iii -d of the SRO has been postponed 
till 30 -04-2020 vide SRO 258/2020. The various modifications of the original version, as 
well as postponements of the date of entry into force, were made taking into account, inter 
alia, comments made by other WTO Members.  
9. Proposed date of adoption:  First adopted on 19 February 2019 and later the application 
was postponed till 1 July 2019. The operation of Clause iii -d of the SRO has been 
postponed till 30 -04-2020 vide SRO 258/2020.  
Proposed date of entry into force:  30 April 2020  
10. Final date for comments:  - 
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [X] or address, telephone and fax 
numbers and email and website addresses, if available , of other body:   
Pakistan Standards & Quality Control Authority, Ministry of Science & Technology  
PSQCA Complex, Plot No. St. -7/A, Block -3, Scheme No. 36, Gulishan -e-Juhar, Karachi  
Websites: www.most.gov.pk  – www.psqca.com.pk  
Email: soomroali@yahoo.com  
Tel: +922199261840  
https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2020/TBT/PAK/20_3130_00_e.pdf