ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has paid Rs119.22 billion for import of mobile phones during the first five months (July – November) of 2020/2021 owing to high demand for online financial transactions in the wake of coronavirus.
According to data released by Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), the import of mobile phones surged by 53 percent to Rs119.22 billion during the first five months of the current fiscal year as compared with Rs78 billion in the corresponding months of the last fiscal year.
Industry sources said that the import of mobile phones surged due to the coronavirus pandemic and people opted to make financial transactions through an online system.
Further, they said the implementation of laws making it mandatory that only verified mobiles through Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to be activated for local services has also discouraged informal channels for import of mobile phones.
They said that the depreciation of Pak Rupee had also an impact on the surge of mobile phone imports.
The import of mobile phones in terms of dollar grew by 45 percent to $724 million during the first five months of the current fiscal year as compared with $498 million in the same period of the last fiscal year.
