QUETTA – In a major move to strengthen trade ties with Iran, Pakistan’s Ministry of Commerce has exempted 57 items from the requirement of a Certificate of Origin (COO).
The decision was announced during a virtual meeting between the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) and private sector representatives. The meeting was chaired by Member Customs Policy Ashhad Jawad and attended by officials from the State Bank, Customs, and the Ministry of Commerce, along with the Quetta Chamber of Commerce and Industry (QCCI).
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Officials said the exemption would make cross-border trade easier and faster, especially for traders in Balochistan, who had long complained about the complicated documentation process.
Ashhad Jawad said the government was taking every possible step to promote legal and formal trade with Iran, adding that this policy change would support economic growth.
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QCCI President Muhammad Ayub Mariani welcomed the move and said the chamber had been raising this issue for years. He also revealed that a second list of 37 more items had been submitted for exemption.
Local traders were urged to take advantage of the new facility and expand trade with Iran under the updated policy.