Clearance of goods stuck at ports on the cards.

ISLAMABAD -- The government has decided in principle to allow clearance of goods stuck at ports, an official source told Dawn on Monday.

The issue was discussed at length at a high-level meeting convened in the Ministry of Finance Ministry and chaired by Minister for Finance Miftah Ismail. Minister for Commerce Naveed Qamar also attended the meeting.

According to the source, the Ministry of Commerce has been directed to submit a summary to the federal cabinet for consideration. On May 19, the government impoAsed a ban for a period of two months on the imports of 800 items in 33 categories.

In the wake of the notification, the importers have already booked goods for import, which reached Karachi ports recently. The documentation, according to the source, was filed much earlier than the announcement of the decision.

The source further said that the federal cabinet will also review its decision on July 18 whether to further extend the ban on these items or not. It is also under consideration to lift the ban on the import of accessories. 'We have banned these accessories on the basis that sufficient stock was available for two months for local manufacturers of mobile phones,' a source in Customs told Dawn.

Meanwhile, the commerce ministry has...