FPCCI Vice President Arshad Jamal has written a letter to the Secretary for Commerce regarding more than 400 containers stuck at ports due to the recent SRO 604.
The consignments of solar panels, inverters and other equipment used in solar technology were previously imported on the standards and conditions specified by the government of Pakistan as per last import policy order.
However, the Ministry of Commerce has imposed new requirement through SRO 604/2019 on May 28, 2019 for the import of aforesaid items with no consultation or advance intimation to the traders, customs authorities, Pakistan Standards Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) and others.
The board has been requested to release all these consignments under para 4 of import policy order, which gives an option to release the goods.
Para 4 of the import policy order says: “Import of all goods is allowed from worldwide sources unless otherwise elsewhere specified to be banned, prohibited or restricted in this order. Provided that the amendments brought in this order from time to time shall not be applicable to such imports where bill of lading or letter of credit were issued or established prior to the issuance of amending order.”
