PAKISTAN: Ban on Import of Non-Essential, Luxury Products Lifted

The Pakistan government has lifted its ban on the import of non-essential and luxury items, introduced on 19 May 2022. The decision was reached at the 28 July 2022 meeting of the country’s Economic Coordination Committee (ECC). Import restrictions will remain in place only for mobile phones, completely built-up automobiles and home appliances, and lifted on other items. The original ban impacted 33 categories covering over 860 product lines, such as dry and fresh fruits, decoration items, chocolates, furniture, carpets, musical instruments, cigarettes, preserved and frozen food items, shampoos, cosmetic items and confectionery.

According to finance ministry, the ban helped reduce the import of restricted items by about 70%, dropping from US$399.4 million to US$123.9 million between May 20 and July 19. The main contributors to the reduction were automobiles and mobiles phones, which accounted for 79% of the total import reduction.