Now in a policy shift that no one would have expected the government of Pakistan will allow the import of used smartphones in Pakistan. The reason for this change is supposedly the fact that the government of Pakistan is aiming to cut short the import bill as the smartphones industry contributes a larger sum to the import structure of Pakistan. Moreover DIRBS is still not going anywhere as the government is only allowing the phones to be used in Pakistan but only through legal and validating means. The government seems ready to continue with the all important checks which ensure a successful verification process to be carried out. Moreover the cabinet of Pakistan has announced the deadline day date for yhe smuggled phones in the country which will be imposed possibly after the date of 31st December.
Furthermore Mr. Fawad Chaudhary who is currently the Information Minister in Pakistan, the mobile phones which have already be brought in Pakistan through illegal actions can still be used for a specific time period, however after 31st December these mobile phones will not be allowed to operate in the country. Fawad Chaudhary went on to further state that the cabinet will also be supportive in this matter and has hence decided to promote the local smartphone industry. Moreover the possibility of a ban on the import of mobile phones, may well be seen by the end of December as we March in to the new year.
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As per the report of the Government, around 82 million mobile phones have entered the country through a legal and acceptable process, while a statistic shows that over 2.5 billion phones entered the Pakistani mobile phone market through illegal means annually. The government has now decided to regularize the entry of the imported smartphones in to Pakistan in order to counter the problem of the import of mobile through illegal means.
Moreover the Information Minister further revealed that the sale of second-hand smartphones was completely banned to be operational in Pakistan but the selling and usage of used mobile phones was carried out freely . The new implementation of the task to block illegally imported mobile phones from entering Pakistan after 31st December and allowing the sale of legally imported used mobile phones in Pakistan will certainly help neutralize the situation surrounding the mobile phone market in Pakistan
