ISLAMABAD: Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry has made an ambitious commitment to the prime minister to make Islamabad plastic-free by December 31.

“The government will ban all types of plastic bags and other plastic products in Islamabad by December 31 as part of efforts to make the capital plastic-free,” he said.

He said the restrictions would cover thick and thin plastic bags, shopping bags with handles, plastic water bottles and other products, adding that arrangements were being made to ensure their removal from the capital by the deadline.

Mr Chaudhry said many plastic bags entering Pakistan originated in Iran and were petroleum by-products sold at low prices. Such products were subsequently auctioned by customs authorities and distributed across the country.

He said the government had asked the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to stop auctioning plastic products that were harmful to the environment.

Nonetheless, single-use plastic bags continue to be in use by cart pushers and traders in small markets in residential sectors despite a ban on their use enforced on August 14, 2019. Numerous, one and off, enforcement drives had been conducted in the last seven years, when representatives from Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) raided markets, confiscated polythene bags and slapped penalties.

Talking to Dawn, Director National Environmental Quality Standards (NEQS) Dr Zaigham Abbas said that traders had met Mr Chaudhry on the matter.

“The government has given traders in Islamabad 10 days, till October 20, to return single-use plastic bags to their manufacturers and replace them with alternatives,” he said.

He said priority was being given to single-use plastic bags, the official said that three factories had been raided in Islamabad and sealed and 1.4 tonnes of polythene bags have been confiscated. In response to a question, the senior official said that packaged food in plastic bags such as bread, rice pulses and other edibles, were exempted from regulations. “These do not fall in the definition of single use plastic bags. Such plastic bags are used to protect food from going bad and have shelf life. All other types of plastics that people use and throw such as plastic cups and spoons will be checked. Bottled water was also exempted from regulations till 2028,” he added.

Published in Dawn, October 12th, 2026