Pakistan Veterinary Medical Council Act, 1996

This Act establishes the Pakistan Veterinary Medical Council, the body that regulates who may practice veterinary medicine in Pakistan. Section 3 sets out the Council's membership - representatives nominated by each Provincial Government, university veterinary faculties, the Pakistan Veterinary Medical Association, the Federal Government, veterinary training institutions, and the Animal Husbandry Commissioner of the Livestock Division - and gives the Council corporate status, letting it own property and sue or be sued in its own name. Members serve four-year terms (Section 4), and the Council elects a President and Vice-President (Section 5) and forms an Executive Committee to handle day-to-day powers (Section 6).

Sections 9 to 12 govern recognition of veterinary qualifications. Degrees from Pakistani institutions listed in the First Schedule - such as the College of Veterinary Sciences, Lahore, and the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad - are automatically recognized. Foreign qualifications listed in the Second Schedule are likewise recognized, and the Council can negotiate reciprocal recognition arrangements with other countries or certify an individual's foreign qualification as sufficient even if not separately listed (Section 12). Section 15 lets the Council withdraw recognition from an institution whose training standards fall short, through a process involving the Federal Government.

Section 16 requires the Council to maintain a public register of qualified veterinarians, and Section 19 restricts veterinary posts, and the legal validity of veterinary certificates, to people registered with the Council. Section 18 penalizes fraudulently obtaining registration, or falsely claiming to be registered, with a fine of up to five thousand rupees or imprisonment of up to six months, or both. Section 22 lets the Council remove a person's name from the register for a relevant criminal conviction, professional misconduct, or physical or mental incapacity, but only after giving that person a hearing.

Section 23 empowers the Council, with Federal Government approval, to make detailed regulations covering training standards, examinations, and registration fees, and Section 25 allows the Federal Government to set up a Commission of Inquiry if the Council is not complying with the Act.