Islamabad: Pakistan Customs today issued a clarification responding to media reports that characterized the full value of mobile phone imports during FY 2025-26 as finished mobile-phone imports. According to Press Information Department, a review of official import data shows that this characterization does not reflect the underlying composition of the trade, with the reported increase driven by inputs feeding Pakistan’s domestic mobile phone assembly industry. The country imported approximately 32 million mobile phones during FY 2025-26, compared with 33 million units in FY 2024-25, indicating that overall import volumes remained broadly stable.
The total import value for all mobile phone categories rose to approximately Rs 520 billion in FY 2025-26 from Rs 427 billion in FY 2024-25. Approximately four-fifths of this value—around Rs 420 billion—represents Completely Knocked Down (CKD) and Semi Knocked Down (SKD) kits imported by registered local assemblers for domestic production, rather than finished handsets for retail sale. Only around Rs 100 billion, under one-fifth of the total import value, represents Completely Built Unit (CBU) devices imported in finished form. Thus, treating the full Rs 520 billion as finished-phone imports significantly overstates the extent to which Pakistan imports completed devices.
Regarding CBU imports, smartphones increased from approximately 0.29 million units in FY 2024-25 to approximately 1.04 million units in FY 2025-26. Industry feedback indicates that nearly 60-70 percent of this growth comprised new and used Apple iPhones and Google Pixel devices. The rise in their official imports reflects genuine consumer demand for products not available through domestic assembly, not a displacement of locally manufactured devices.
The shift toward documented CBU imports is supported by the cost advantage of official commercial channels. A commercially imported iPhone attracts approximately Rs 150,000 in duties and taxes, compared to approximately Rs 190,000 when brought in and registered against a passport, and nearly Rs 210,000 when registered against a CNIC. This differential has made lawful commercial import the more economical route, drawing volume away from informal channels.
Total duties and taxes collected on mobile phone imports rose to approximately Rs 121 billion in FY 2025-26 from approximately Rs 89 billion in FY 2024-25, an increase of over 36 percent, outpacing growth in import value. Duty collection on CBU smartphones more than doubled year-on-year, underscoring that more trade now occurs through formal, tax-compliant channels.
Pakistan Customs’ enhanced enforcement against smuggling and misdeclaration, improved customs clearance processes, and coordination with the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on device registration have driven the shift from undocumented trade to legitimate imports. This has resulted in higher government revenue, greater transparency, and continued support for Pakistan’s domestic assembly industry.
Pakistan Customs remains committed to safeguarding economic interests through effective border enforcement and trade facilitation, supporting both government revenue objectives and the growth of Pakistan’s domestic mobile phone assembly industry.