1. General situation

After the 5th wave (February 2022) of the Coronavirus since June 2020 the COVID-19 figures have gradually decreased in Pakistan. With the exception of the city of Karachi where the positivity rate is +6%, the country has an average positivity rate of less than 1%. Currently COVID-19 figures stand at 1.53 million confirmed cases and 30,379 deaths.

Preventive Measures

Practically all isolation, closure and lock-down measures for commercial, industrial, social or educational activities are removed.

Travel

Internal: All means of transport (air, road, rail) are authorized.

International: All travelers arriving in Pakistan must possess a vaccination certificate. Provision of relevant information through the PassTrack app (https://passtrack.nitb.gov.pk/login) is highly recommended to avoid delays at airports.

Vaccination

A rigorous national vaccination program has been launched in Pakistan; 123 million Pakistanis (55% of the population) are fully vaccinated while 135 million (61%) received their 1st dose; 8.3 million Pakistanis have been given a booster shot. For travelers moving abroad, vaccines approved in Europe, the United States etc. are available for a payment of +/- € 6.5.

2. Economy

Trade with Belgium

2021: January – December: landmark year, record exports !

Pakistan                            50e client                          Exports € 886.0 millions                              + 106.4%

Pakistan                            55e supplier                       Imports € 456.6 millions                              + 22.4%

Trade balance    € +409.4 millions

2022 : January

Pakistan                            55e client                          Exports € 71.3 millions                               + 80.0%

Pakistan                            49e supplier                       Imports € 55.7 millions                             + 84.9%

Trade balance    € +15.6 millions

Economic situation

With the passing of the vote of no-confidence against the government of Imran Khan on April 9, 2022 and the succession by a coalition of 12 political parties with a very small majority, Pakistan finds itself in a situation of constitutional, political, economic and financial crisis. The new coalition government of Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has started negotiations with the IMF to enter into a financial restructuring program and hopes to receive its support for the structural reforms to be put in place to resuscitate the economy.

Faced with a serious fall in foreign exchange reserves (less than $9 billion), the government has launched a number of cost-cutting measures, in particular by increasing the prices of petrol (+40%), electricity and gas (+45%). All major cities are now undergoing power cuts. The import of a number of products (declared luxury goods) has been banned until further notice, including: automobiles, cigarettes, confectionery, cosmetics, tableware, decorative items, fruit juices, soft drinks, sanitary accessories and bathroom products, chocolates, fish preparations, footwear, fruits and dried fruits, furniture, household appliances, ice cream, jams, jellies, canned fruits, mattresses, frozen or processed meats, musical instruments, shampoos, glasses sunshine, ketchup and sauces...

Nevertheless, Islamabad post continues its activities to promote our businesses; the most important being the organization of an information stand at one of the largest trade fairs in the field of energy, oil and gas and industrial equipment to be held by the end of July 2022 in Karachi.

Trade barriers

No new trade barriers imposed or lifted.

Botst u buiten de EU op handelsbarrières of andere problemen op het vlak van markttoegang? Laat het ons weten via dit online aangifteformulier. Wij analyseren uw aangifte en maken die over aan de bevoegde instanties.

3. Useful links

• National Institute of Health (NIH COVID-19 Dashboard real-time): http://covid.gov.pk 
• http://www.emro.who.int/countries/pak/index.html

4. Dossier Coronavirus

Het coronavirus heeft een wereldwijde impact, niet alleen op de gezondheid maar ook op de economie. Ook uw export kan hiervan gevolgen of zelfs hinder ondervinden.

FIT monitort de risico's dagelijks en ons buitenlands netwerk informeert u over alle implicaties voor Vlaamse exporteurs op hun internationale activiteiten.

In het dossier Coronavirus vindt u een aantal nuttige tips, adviezen en inzichten in de economische impact van de verspreiding van het virus op internationaal ondernemen.

Met vragen over internationaal ondernemen in tijden van Corona, kan u terecht bij exportadvies-corona@fitagency.be.