Pakistan Customs clarifies mobile phone import data

Pakistan Customs issued a clarification in response to media reports regarding mobile phone import statistics and said that reports overstated the scale of finished mobile phone imports by treating the total value of mobile phone imports as completed handsets, rather than distinguishing between devices assembled locally and those imported ready for sale.

In a statement issued, the customs said Pakistan imported around 32 million mobile phones during the 2025–26 fiscal year, compared with about 33 million in 2024–25, indicating that overall import volumes remained largely unchanged.

According to the statistics of Pakistan Customs, the total value of mobile phone imports rose to about Rs.520 billion in 2025–26 from Rs.427 billion a year earlier.

However, customs said nearly four-fifths of that amount, around Rs.420 billion, consisted of Completely Knocked Down (CKD) and Semi Knocked Down (SKD) kits imported by registered manufacturers for local assembly.

Only approximately Rs.100 billion, under one-fifth of total import value, represents Completely Built Unit (CBU) devices imported in finished form. Customs said treating the entire Rs.520 billion as finished-phone imports gave a misleading picture of Pakistan’s reliance on imported handsets.

Customs data also showed that within CBU imports, smartphones rose from approximately 0.29 million units in FY 2024–25 to approximately 1.04 million units in FY 2025–26.

Industry feedback indicates that nearly 60–70 percent of this growth comprised new and used Apple iPhones and Google Pixel devices.

As neither brand is manufactured locally, the rise in their official imports reflects genuine consumer demand for products that are simply unavailable through domestic assembly — not a displacement of locally manufactured devices, nor a reversal of Pakistan’s assembly-led import policy.

The shift toward documented CBU imports has also been supported by the comparative cost advantage of official commercial channels.

Pakistan Customs said commercially imported iPhones are subject to duties and taxes of about Rs.150,000, compared with around Rs.190,000 for devices registered against a passport and nearly Rs.210,000 for those registered against a CNIC.

According to customs, total duties and taxes collected on mobile phone imports rose to approximately Rs .121 billion in FY 2025–26, from approximately Rs. 89 billion in FY 2024–25, an increase of over 36 percent, outpacing the growth in import value itself.

The authority added that duty collection on imported CBU smartphones more than doubled year on year, which it said reflected a shift from grey-market activity towards documented, tax-paid imports.

Pakistan Customs said stronger enforcement against smuggling and misdeclaration, improved customs clearance procedures and closer coordination with the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on device registration had contributed to the increase in formal imports.

The result has been higher government revenue collection, greater transparency in the mobile phone trade, and continued support for Pakistan’s domestic assembly industry, which remains the destination for the overwhelming majority of import volume and value.