Pakistan Govt Stopped to Import 38 non-Essential Luxury Goods

Islamabad: The government in the wake of soaring Import bills has decided to impose a ban on the import of 38 non-essential commodities under an emergency economic plan. This was announced by the federal information minister Maryam Aurangzeb on Thursday while addressing a press conference here in the capital city. Soon after, The PM Shahbaz Sharif also took to Twitter and said that the decision would help in saving the precious foreign exchange. He said, "We will practice austerity and financially stronger people must lead in this effort so that the less privileged among us do not have to bear this burden inflicted on them by the PTI government." The PM vowed that the nation would face these challenges with resolve and determination.

Over the past few decades, there has been an unprecedented rise in the US dollar compared to the Pak-rupee mainly owing to the country’s ever-increasing import bills. This phenomenon has resulted in a continuous deficit in the current account and depleting forex. The dollar has almost crossed Rs200 in the interbank market. The information minister in her press conference assured the nation that the PM is working round the clock to stabilize the shaking economy. The minister said that the government has decided to ban only those items which are not used by the general public like imported vehicles.

The list of Ban items includes

Automobiles
Mobile phones
Home appliances
Fruits and dry fruits (except Afghanistan)
Crockery
Private weapons and ammunition
Shoes
Chandeliers and lighting (except energy savers)
Headphones and loudspeakers
Sauces
Doors and window frames
Travelling bags and suitcases
Sanitary ware
Fish and frozen fish
Carpets (except Afghanistan)
Preserved fruits
Tissue paper
Furniture
Shampoos
Confectionary
Luxury mattresses and sleeping bags
Jams and jelly
Cornflakes
Toiletries
Heaters, blowers
Sunglasses
Kitchenware
Aerated water
Frozen meat
Juices
Pasta
Ice cream
Cigarettes
Shaving goods
Luxury leather apparel
Musical instruments
Salon items like hairdryers etc
Chocolates

The minister further highlighted that the country will have to make sacrifices under the emergency economic plan which will have an impact of around 6 billion US dollars. She made it clear that the import orders for which the letter of credit have already been opened would be entertained but no new ones would be processed.