Weights and Measures (International System) Act, 1967

This 1967 Act put Pakistan onto the metric (International System, or "SI") system of weights and measures, replacing the older imperial-style units that had been used previously. Its purpose, stated in the preamble, is to establish standards of weights and measures based on the International system.

Section 2 defines the basic metric units in precise scientific terms: an "ampere" (unit of electric current), a "candela" (unit of luminous intensity), a "kilogram" (defined by reference to the international prototype cylinder kept at the International Bureau of Weights and Measures in France), a "metre" (originally defined by reference to a specific wavelength of light from the Krypton atom), a "litre" and a "second" (defined, after a 1974 amendment, by reference to radiation from the caesium-133 atom). Section 3 fixes the units for electric current (ampere) and luminous intensity (candela); Section 4, after amendment, defines the kelvin as the unit of thermodynamic temperature. Section 5 sets the primary units for mass (kilogram, with a special carat unit for pearls and precious stones), length (metre), area (square metre), volume (cubic metre), capacity (litre) and time (second).

Section 6 requires the Federal Government to prepare and certify a national prototype of the kilogram and of the metre, matched against the international standards, and to keep them safely. Sections 10-13 establish a hierarchy of reference standards, secondary standards, working standards, and standard weighing/measuring instruments used to check that everyday scales and measures are accurate. Section 14 provides for the appointment of Controllers, Deputy Controllers, Assistant Controllers and Inspectors of Weights and Measures, and Section 15 lets Inspectors verify and stamp instruments to certify their accuracy. Section 22 prohibits using weights and measures other than the standard ones set by this Act, and Section 24 lets the government direct that only weights (not measures), or only measures (not weights), be used in certain areas.

Section 34 sets limits of error that will be tolerated in weights and measures - though the specific tolerance figures are not shown in this extract. Section 37 addresses how offences under the Act are taken cognisance of, and Section 41 gives the Federal Government power to make rules, including rules under which a breach can be punished with a fine of up to five hundred rupees (a figure explicitly stated in the extract). Section 42 and the Second Schedule repeal a number of older, overlapping weights and measures laws, including the Measures of Length Act 1889, the Standards of Weight Act 1939, and various provincial weights and measures acts.

The First Schedule gives conversion figures between the old and new units - for example, one pound equals 0.4535924 kilograms, one mile equals 1609.344 metres, one seer equals 0.9331 kilograms, and one maund equals 37.3242 kilograms. This is an old law (1967) that has itself been amended, notably in 1974 (when "Metric" was substituted for the original wording in several places) and 1978, so readers checking current tolerance limits, fine amounts, or enforcement machinery should verify against the up-to-date text.