On Wednesday, Minister of State for Finance Ali Pervaiz Malik informed the Lower House of Parliament that, following the finalization of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) program, the prime minister has directed that no restrictions be imposed on industries importing raw materials, as part of efforts to prioritize export growth.
During the question hour of the seventh meeting of the 10th National Assembly session, Malik responded to an inquiry from Member National Assembly (MNA) Mussarat Rafique Mahesar. He stated that the Ministry of Finance has not imposed any new restrictions on raw material imports post-IMF program, and highlighted the government’s intensified efforts to boost exports and enhance business competitiveness.
Parliamentary Secretary for Commerce Zulfiqar Ali Bhatti also addressed the assembly, noting significant progress under the National Tariff Policy 2019. The government has rationalized 6,500 tariff lines out of a total of 7,580, reducing 2,198 of them to zero. Bhatti further mentioned that the government has provided Rs 22 billion in relief to industries and traders and is actively organizing trade expos to further improve the country’s export performance.
