The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is delaying the issue of quality certification to Pakistani cement exporters, preventing them from exporting to India, it was reported in Pakistan newspaper, The Nation.

Pakistani exporters must obtain quality certification from the BIS, which issues two-year licenses to the exporter after visiting the factory premises and conducting laboratory tests. The BIS conducts a mandatory quality inspection once in each two-year period before it can issue a renewal.

All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association Secretary Shehzad Ahmed told The Nation that BIS officials have not visited Pakistani cement units – namely Attock Cement, Cherat Cement, DG Khan Cement and Kohat Cement – for at least six months due to security concerns, directly impacting on the export volumes to India.

He suggested that the procedure of obtaining quality assurance certificate should be simplified by the Indian authorities and once the certificate is issued by the BIS, it should be considered valid forever.
In order to ensure that the quality standards are adhered to, the BIS may engage any of the international inspection firms operating in Pakistan, such as Moody International or SGS. Furthermore, the quality of exported cement could be checked in any Indian laboratory.