A.  A. Import Policy

In exercise of the powers conferred of the Imports and Exports Act, 1950, the Federal Government is pleased to make the following, namely:-

Basis of imports –

1.        Imports may be made against all modes of payment subject to procedures prescribed by the State Bank of Pakistan.

2.       Private sector importers may enter into commodity exchange arrangements with suppliers abroad subject to the procedure notified by the State Bank of Pakistan.

3.       For imports under loans, credits or bilateral assistance requiring contracts to be approved by Economic Affairs Division or some other agency of the Government of Pakistan, letters of credit shall have to be opened within sixty days of registration of contract with a bank designated by the State Bank of Pakistan.

4.       Public sector agencies shall open letters of credit through a bank designated by the State Bank of Pakistan.

a.              Import of goods - Import of all goods may be allowed from worldwide sources unless otherwise specified to be banned, prohibited or restricted in this Order: Provided that the amendments brought in this Order from time to time shall not be applicable to such imports where bill of lading or irrevocable letters of credit were issued or established prior to the issuance of amending Order.

b.              Prohibitions - Goods specific are banned for import. This ban, however, shall not be applicable on - import of goods by the Federal Government for defence purposes; any goods which are exempt from customs duties on importation by the foreign diplomatic missions in Pakistan under the Diplomatic and Consular Privileges Act, 1972 (IX of 1972); and ministries, divisions, provincial governments and their departments and other government agencies may import items, irrespective of their import status to meet their requirements, subject to the condition that orders in respect of which are placed directly by the administrative secretaries of respective divisions, departments or officers authorized by the administrative secretaries, provided they meet their requirements of foreign exchange from their own foreign exchange budget allocation.

(a)             Import of the followings are banned, namely goods of Indian or Israeli origin or imported from India or Israel: (a) Provided that the provisions of this clause to the extent of India shall not apply to therapeutic products regulated by the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan. (b) import of live animals, i.e. cattle, buffalo, sheep and goats and meat & bone meal (MBM) and feed ingredients of animal origin are banned from countries classified by the World Organization of Animal Health (OIE) in the latest edition of Terrestrial Animal Health Code as Controlled Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) Risk and Undetermined BSE Risk. (c) counterfeit products; and (d) import of all rough diamonds from, “Cote’d Ivoire”.

c.              Import of goods shall be subject to the same national quality standards or regulations as are prescribed in respect of similar and domestically produced goods.

d.              In case of goods imported in to Pakistan from Kenya, a fee at the rate of fifty dollars (US) per document or 0.5% of the invoice value of goods, whichever is higher, shall be charged by Pakistani High Commission, Nairobi, Kenya for attestation of the certificate of the origin and invoice related to such goods.