KARACHI: The Ministry of Commerce has notified a fresh round of amendments to the Import Policy Order (IPO), 2022, easing restrictions on several categories of scrap and hazardous waste, second-hand goods, pharmaceuticals and consumer electronics, while simultaneously tightening controls on audio amplifiers. The changes were issued through S.R.O. 1207(I)/2026.
Hazardous waste codes removed from the banned list
The most consequential change concerns Appendix-A of the IPO, the schedule of goods absolutely banned from import into Pakistan.
Serial No. 15 of Appendix-A covers “hazardous wastes as defined and classified in the Basel Convention.” The new SRO removes eight specific tariff lines from that banned list:
- 2620.3000: ash and residues containing arsenic, metals or their compounds
- 3915.1000: waste, parings and scrap of plastics (polymers of ethylene)
- 7902.0000: zinc waste and scrap
- 8110.2000: antimony waste and scrap
- 8112.1300: beryllium waste and scrap
- 8549.1100, 8549.1200, 8549.1300 and 8549.1400: electrical and electronic waste and scrap (e-waste)
With these codes struck off Serial No. 15, importers will now be able to bring in these categories of metal, plastic and electronic scrap without the blanket prohibition that previously applied, though they will still remain subject to any other applicable regulatory or environmental clearances.
One item added to the restricted list, several removed
Appendix-B, which lists goods that may be imported subject to specified conditions, was amended in both directions.
In Part-I, the government added tariff line 8518.4000 (audio-frequency electric amplifiers) against Serial No. 56, meaning imports of this item will now require the conditions prescribed under that entry to be met.
In Part-II, two entries were relaxed. Against Serial No. 8, the codes 3004.3100 (insulin-based medicaments) and 3006.6000 (hormonal contraceptive preparations) were omitted, lifting the restriction that previously applied to these pharmaceutical imports. Against Serial No. 32, the codes 8525.8010 and 8525.8090, covering television and digital cameras and video camera recorders, were similarly removed from the restricted list.
Restrictions on used goods relaxed
Appendix-C, which governs the import of used and second-hand goods, was also trimmed. Against Serial No. 9, the codes 8518.4000 and 8525.6090 were omitted, easing restrictions on used electrical/electronic equipment and cameras covered under that entry. Against Serial No. 12, the code 9018.9010, relating to used medical and surgical instruments, was similarly removed.
The Import Policy Order, 2022 governs what goods may enter Pakistan, dividing them into banned items (Appendix-A), conditionally restricted items (Appendix-B) and restrictions on used or second-hand goods (Appendix-C).
The Order has been amended repeatedly since 2022, including a major tightening in mid-2022 amid a balance-of-payments crisis that added over 30 product lines to the banned list. Wednesday’s notification runs in the opposite direction on several fronts, trimming both the hazardous-waste ban and the restricted-goods list, even as it tightens the regime for one electronics category.
