Wondering about the title? Well, yes the iPhone you have been using has probably been imported to Pakistan through unofficial means, most probably through illegal means. Apple has been very reluctant in investing in Pakistan because of the very uncertain political climate and of how Pakistan’s reputation has been, globally.
However, its about to change now. Mercantile, an official distributor of numerous phones, have now been appointed by Apple for Pakistan and Afghanistan. They have further signed with AirLink communications to officially bring iPhones to Pakistan. This is a result of strict PTA policies on the smuggling of phones and the massive crackdown on such operations which led to authorities being able to catch involved people and halting these operations on a large scale. This sure gives a sign of encouragement to companies who were initially hesitant on entering the Pakistani market because of the already established unofficial market base in certain countries. This will change once Airlink and Mercantile start their imports, regarding which Mercantile Pacific’s Head of Global and Business Development, said:
We are thrilled to partner with Airlink Communication, one of the leading Mobile Phone Distributors, in the country.
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Muzzaffar Hayat Piracha, CEO Airlink Communication Ltd, said:
Airlink Communication is committed to offering the best products to the consumers through this alliance. The market for premium products in Pakistan is growing and we should expect the best from the future.
The prices of these phones are expected to get even higher, previously because of increasing dollar rates but now because of the taxation policy on phones by the PTA which although increases tax collection but discourages the buying of flagship accessories because of extremely high prices.
Nonetheless, it is an important move forward and we hope that Apple makes an official appearance and gets themselves into the Pakistani market themselves.
