Karachi:The manufacturers of Pakistan fully support the decision of the government to suspend all trade with India. This has sent a strong and favorable message to the business community to source their imports and exports from countries that are not inimical to the sovereignty of Pakistan,” said Zaki Ahmed Khan, Vice President Employers Federation of Pakistan in a press release.
Zaki Ahmed Khan said that EFP members from Pharmaceutical Companies have sent an emergency SOS to EFP to contact the government and explain that SRO 927 (I) /2019 dated 9th August, 2019 by Ministry of Commerce for suspension of trade with India requires further clarification and needs consideration. He added that goods of Indian origin that have already arrived in Pakistan at airport/ seaport and were imported before this decision should be exempted from this SRO.
Zaki Ahmed Khan moreover said that in-transit goods, imported from India where the Bill of Lading date is before 9th August, 2019, should also be exempted from this SRO. At the same time, shipments where letter of credit / bank contracts were already established before the SRO date, should be exempted from this SRO too.
Khan said that Pharmaceutical APIs (Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients), imported from India to manufacture life-saving products by the pharmaceutical industry of Pakistan, should be allowed on the condition that that the pharmaceutical companies would immediately develop alternate sources of these API’s within a reasonable mutually agreed upon time with the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan.
Zaki Ahmed Khan feared that immediate suspension of trade without any guidelines regarding the above mentioned decisions would seriously impact on the Pharmaceutical manufacturers and result in mega shortages of medicines in Pakistan. He requested Ministry of Commerce and Finance to urgently issue the necessary directives to Customs so that the present and immediate crisis could be controlled at present.