QUETTA: The Federal Ministry of Commerce has exempted 57 items from the requirement of a Certificate of Origin (COO) for trade with Iran, a move hailed by the business community as a major breakthrough in strengthening bilateral trade.

The decision was announced during a Zoom meeting between the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) and the private sector, chaired by Member Customs Policy Ashhad Jawad and participated by Quetta Chamber of Commerce and Industry (QCCI) President Muhammad Ayub Mariani, Chief Collector Customs Irfan Javed, Collector Customs Jameel Baloch, State Bank representative Muhammad Yasir, commerce ministry official Zubair Khan, and other stakeholders.

The meeting focused on addressing long-standing hurdles in Pakistan-Iran trade, particularly issues related to the Electronic Import Form (EIF) and COO.

Speaking on the occasion, Ashhad Jawad said the government was taking all possible steps to promote legal and formal trade with Iran, and that the exemption of 57 items from the COO requirement was an important part of this effort. He emphasised that promoting legal trade was vital for the country’s economic prosperity.

He appreciated the active role of the QCCI and expressed confidence that the new policy would significantly enhance trade relations between Pakistan and Iran.

The QCCI president welcomed the federal government’s decision, saying that the chamber had consistently raised concerns about the mandatory EIF and COO requirements on behalf of the province’s traders.

Mr Mariani urged local traders to take advantage of the new facility and expand trade with Iran. He also disclosed that the QCCI had submitted a second list of 37 additional items to the authorities concerned, recommending their exemption from the COO requirement. “We hope that the second list will also be approved soon.”

Published in Dawn, October 18th, 2025