Cabinet approves lifting ban on luxury items' import

Islamabad: The federal cabinet on Saturday approved the Economic Coordination Committee’s (ECC) decision to lift the ban on the import of luxury items, ARY News reported. 

According to details, the federal cabinet has approved the ECC’s decision to unban the import of luxury items such as cigarettes, chocolate and juices.

According to the ECC’s decision import ban on items such as cosmetics, tissue papers, pet food, fish, footwear, fruits and dry fruits has been lifted.

Furniture, ice creams, jams and jellies, leather jackets, shampoo, sunglasses, ketchup, arms and ammunition, pasta, musical instruments, frozen meat, door and window frames, decoration articles, travel bags, suitcases, crockery and corn flakes can also be imported after the lifting of the ban.

The government decided to ban the import of luxury items due to an alarmingly high trade deficit.

The Ministry of Commerce on May 20 notified a ban on the import of 38 non-essential luxury items under an “emergency economic plan”.

Also Read: Govt notifies ban on luxury items’ import

‘Import ban to save foreign exchange’

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said in a Twitter message, “My decision to ban the import of luxury items will save the country precious foreign exchange. We will practice austerity & 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 govt.”