Pakistan Senate paves way for Halal Authority to overlook national accreditation system

Photo: ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN - MAY 11, 2011: Red Mosque, in Islamabad / Thomas Koch / Shutterstock.com

Pakistan's Senate has approved the Pakistan Halal Authority Bill, paving the way for the regulation of all halal imports and exports, local newspapers reported. 

The Halal Authority will recommend standards for both products and processes towards the establishment of a national halal accreditation system.

Citing the Director General of the Pakistan National Accreditation Council, The Express Tribune reported that a conference of Islamic scholars will be organised in March to determine which items and ingredients are halal or haram. 

Once standards are in place, exports must bear the halal logo of the Authority and imports must be certified halal by an accredited certification body in Pakistan or the exporting country, said the report.

The Bill also defined penalties for abuse of the Authority's name, mark or logo. Guilty convictions shall be punishable with imprisonment of three years or a fine of a million rupees. 

The Bill that was passed by the National Assembly in December and approved by Senate can be downloaded from this link.