Pakistan bans import of 38 non-essential sanitary ware, bathroom supplies
The Ministry of Commerce of Pakistan issued Decree No. 598 of 2022 under the "Emergency Economic Plan" to ban the import of 38 non-essential items from May 19, 2022. The ban will affect about $6 billion in trade.
These prohibited products include sanitary ware, kitchenware, bathroom products, door and window frames, chandeliers and lighting equipment (except energy-efficient equipment), pottery, household appliances, furniture, mobile phones, fruit and dried fruit (excluding Afghanistan), private weapons and Ammunition, shoes, headphones and speakers, sauces, ketchup, travel bags and suitcases, fish and frozen fish, carpets (except Afghanistan), preserved fruit, tissues, shampoo, cars, candy, luxury mattresses and sleeping bags, jam and Jelly Nachos, Cosmetics, Heaters, Hair Dryers, Sunglasses, Soda, Frozen Meat, Juice, Pasta, Ice Cream, Cigarettes.
However, the prohibition of the decree does not apply to the import of Pakistani rupees or the import through the land-to-road cargo mechanism. The import of the listed products will remain prohibited regardless of their import status elsewhere in the Import Policy Order 2022, the notice added.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shebatz Sharif tweeted that the austerity measures would help save "precious foreign currency". The decision came as the dollar hit 200 rupees in the interbank market on Thursday, breaking all previous records and draining foreign reserves.