KARACHI: Pakistan has imported mobile phones worth Rs26 billion during first two months of current fiscal year, which is 52.4 percent higher when compared with Rs16.98 billion in the same period of the last fiscal year.
The higher import of mobile phones can be attributed to massive depreciation of Pak Rupee during the comparative year and deterrence created against smuggled mobile phones.
According to Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) that rupee value converted into US Dollar on average monthly exchange rate provided by State Bank of Pakistan (SBP).
The PBS said that the exchange rate for import value has been applied as: August 2019 (1$=RS.158.077024 ), July 2019 (1$=Rs.158.829694) and August 2018 (1$=Rs.123.789583).
On the other hand the mandatory registration through system introduced by Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) also discouraged the influx of smuggle phones and resulted in high number of clearance through legal channels.
The PBS said that in terms of dollar the import of mobile phones registered 19.4 percent growth during the period under review.
The import of mobile phones was $163.484 million during July – August 2019 as compared with $136.91 million in the corresponding period of the last year.
The country imported mobile phones worth Rs13.47 billion in the month of August 2019, which is 61 percent higher when compared with Rs8.37 billion in the same month of last year.
The latest figures of August 2019 are also 8.38 percent higher when compared with Rs12.43 billion in July 2019.
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