Pakistan Customs has dismissed recent reports suggesting a sharp increase in finished mobile phone imports, stating that the figures were misinterpreted by failing to distinguish between mobile phones imported for local assembly and fully assembled devices brought into the country.
According to Pakistan Customs, the country imported approximately 32 million mobile phones during the FY2025-26, compared to around 33 million units in the previous fiscal year. While the overall number of imported devices remained almost unchanged, the total import value increased from Rs427 billion to nearly Rs520 billion.
Customs explained that around Rs420 billion, representing nearly 80 percent of the total import value, consisted of Completely Knocked Down (CKD) and Semi Knocked Down (SKD) kits imported by registered manufacturers for local assembly. Only about Rs100 billion accounted for Completely Built Unit (CBU) mobile phones that were imported in finished form.
The authority acknowledged that imports of fully assembled smartphones increased from roughly 290,000 units in FY2024-25 to around 1.04 million units in FY2025-26. However, officials noted that industry data indicates 60 to 70 percent of these imports were Apple iPhones and Google Pixel smartphones, which are not manufactured locally. According to Customs, the increase reflects strong consumer demand for premium brands unavailable through Pakistan’s domestic assembly industry rather than a decline in local manufacturing.
Pakistan Customs also highlighted that importing smartphones through official commercial channels has become more economical due to lower taxation. Commercially imported iPhones are subject to taxes of approximately Rs150,000, compared with nearly Rs190,000 for devices registered using a passport and around Rs210,000 for those registered through a CNIC.
Meanwhile, revenue collected from mobile phone imports increased significantly. Customs reported collecting approximately Rs121 billion in duties and taxes during FY2025-26, up from Rs89 billion a year earlier. Officials attributed the increase to stricter anti-smuggling operations, improved customs clearance procedures, and stronger coordination with the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to ensure proper registration of imported mobile devices.
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