Pakistan Plant Quarantine Act, 1976

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THE PAKISTAN PLANT QUARANTINE ACT, 1976 
 
              
 
 
CONTENTS 
1.  Short title, extent and commencement 
2.  Definitions 
3.  Power to prohibit or regulate import of certain articles 
4.  Operation of notification under section 3 
5.  Goods and articles import or transportation of which prohibited not to be carried 
6.  Penalty 
7.  Cognizance of offence 
8.  Indemnity 
9.  Delegation of powers 
10.  Power to make rules 
11.  Repeal 
 
 
 
 

 
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THE PAKISTAN PLANT QUARANTINE ACT, 1976. 
 
1Act No. LXXV of 1976 
 
         [1st December, 1976] 
 
An Act to give effect in Pakistan to the International Plant Protection Convention, 1951. 
 
 WHEREAS  it  is  expedient  to  give  effect  in  Pakistan  to  the  International  Plant 
Protection Convention, 1951 and to provide for matters connected therewith;  
 
 It is hereby enacted as follows:— 
 
 1. Short title, extent and commencement.—(1) This Act may be called the Pakistan 
Plant Quarantine Act, 1976. 
 
 (2) It extends to the whole of Pakistan.  
 
(3) It shall come into force at once. 
 
 2. D efinitions. In  this  Act,  unless  there  is  anything  repugnant  in  the  subject  or 
context,— 
 
(a) “Convention” means the International Plant Protection Convention, 1951; 
 
(b)      “crop” includes all agricultural or horticultural crops and all trees, bushes, 
grass or plants; 
 
(c) “import” means the bringing or taking by sea, land or air across any customs 
frontier as defined by the Federal Government and includes transportation by 
any means from one Province to another or from one place to another within a 
Province; 
 
(d) “infection” means infection by any insect, fungus, or other pest injurious to a 
crop or plant; 
 
(e) “pest” means any living stage of any or all insects, mites, nematodes, slugs, 
snails,  protozoa,  or  other  inv ertebrate  animals,  fungi,  bacteria,  or  other 
parasitic plants or reproductive parts thereof, virus or any o rganism, or any 
infectious substance which may directly or indirectly injure or cause disease to 
any crop or plant; and 
 
(f) “plant” means all species of plants or parts thereof whether living or dead 
including st emps, branches, tubers, bulbs, corms, stocks, budwood, cuttings, 
layers, slips, su ckers, roots, green-scum on st agnant pools, l eaves, flowers, 
fruits and seeds. 
 
1For Statement of Objects and Reasons, see Gaz. of P., 1976. Ext., Pt., III, p. 692. 
 
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 3. Power to prohibit or regulate import of certain articles.—(1) The Federal Government 
may, by notification in the official Gazette, prohibit, restrict or otherwise regulate, subject to such 
conditions as it may think fit to impos e, import of any article or class of  articles likely to cause 
infection to any crop or plant, or of any pest generally or any class of pests. 
 
 (2) A notification under this section may specify any article or class of articles or any pest or 
class of pests either generally or in any particular manner, whether with reference to the country of 
origin, or the route by which imported or otherwise. 
 
 (3) Any condition imposed under a notification under this section may require—  
 
(a)       compliance with the provisions of the Convention; 
 
(b) examination by authorised persons of goods articles of plant origin and pests 
brought in or to be taken out; 
 
(c)       obtaining of certificate of non-infection; and 
 
(d)       treatment  or  detention,  confiscation  and  destruction  of  infected  goods  or 
articles of plant origin. 
 
 4. Operation of notification under section 3. A notification under section 3 shall operate as 
if it has been issued under section 16 of the Customs Act, 1969 (IV of 1969); and the officers of 
customs shall have the same powers in respect of any goods, articles of plant o rigin or pests in 
respect of which such a notification has been issued as they have for the time being in respect of 
any article the importation of which is prohibited or  restricted under the s aid A ct, and all the 
provisions of that Act shall have effect accordingly. 
 
 5. Goods and articles import or transportation of which prohibited not to be carried. 
When a notification has been issued under section, 3 then, notwithstanding anything contained in any 
other law for the time being in force, the person responsible for the booking of goods or parcels at 
any port, railway station, airport or other place,— 
 
(i)        where the notification prohibits import, shall refuse to receive for carriage at, 
or to forward, or knowingly allow to be carried by sea, air, land, rail or other 
carrier from that port, station, airport or place anything of which the import 
has been prohibited; and 
 
(ii)       wh ere the notification imposes any conditions upon import, shall so refuse 
unless  the  prescribed  documents  showing  that  the  conditions  have  been 
fulfilled are produced. 
 
 6. Penalty. Whoever contravenes or attempts to contravene any of the provisions of this Act, 
or of any rules made or notification issued thereunder, shall, without prejudice to any confiscation 
or penalty to which he may be liable under the provisions of the Customs Act, 1969 (IV of 1969) as 
applied by section 4, be punishable with fine which may extend to five hundred rupees and, upon 
any subsequent conviction, with imprisonment for a term which may extend to six months, or 
with fine which may extend to two thousand rupees, or with both. 
 
 
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 7. Cognizance of offence. No Court shall take cognizance of any offence under this A ct 
except upon complaint in writing made by any officer authorised by the Federal Government in this 
behalf. 
 
 8. Indemnity. No suit, prosecution or other legal proceeding shall lie against any person for 
anything which is in good faith done or intended to be done under this Act. 
 
 9. Delegation of powers. The Federal Government may delegate to a Provincial 
Government, or to any officer or authority of such Government, any of its powers under this Act in 
so far as it relates to the prohibition or restriction of bringing or taking into or out of any place 
from or to another place within a Province or to the transportation from one place to another within 
a Province or to the sale of goods or articles of plant origin imported in contravention of any of the 
provisions of this Act. 
 
 10. Power to make rules.—(1) The Federal Government may, by notification in the official 
Gazette, make rules for carrying out the purposes of this Act. 
 
 (2) In particular and without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing power, such rules 
may provide for all or any of the following matters, namely:— 
 
(a)       the method and manner of examination and treatment of goods and articles of 
plant origin likely to cause infection to any crop or plant; 
 
(b)       the form of certificate of non-infection; 
 
(c)       the documents to be produced before goods or articles of plant origin are 
accepted for carriage; and 
 
(d)       the fees to be levied under this Act. 
 
 11. [Repeal.] Omitted by the Federal Laws (Revision and Declaration) Ordinance, 1981 
(XXVII of 1981), s. 3 and Sen., II. 
 
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  Last uploaded on 13.11.2023