Ban on Imported Items to be Applicable Prospectively

The ban on the import of 38 goods would not be applicable on those imported consignments where letters of credit (LCs) have already been opened with the banks or goods have already reached Pakistan for clearance at ports. Sources told ProPakistani that the government has to allow the import of these banned items in cases where the letters of credit (LCs) had been opened before the imposition of the ban. The ban announced on Thursday through an administrative direction will be applicable prospectively and not on all the LCs or imports made before the said directions. This administrative direction requires notification from the Ministry of Commerce for implementation. There may be cases where the consignments of these banned items have already reached ports for clearance from customs authorities. In such cases, the ban would not be legally applicable and the imported consignments would have to be cleared by the customs authorities.