**4,000-5,000 toners of Indian steel imported **
Friday, June 08, 2007
*By Mushfiq Ahmad *
KARACHI: Pakistan imported 4,000-5,000 tonnes of galvanised corrugated steel sheets from India in the early phase of this year, according to sources in the trade.
They said most of the steel sheets imported from India were brought through Wagah border and sold in the northern parts of the country.
They said the Pakistani government had allowed import of mild steel reinforcement bars graded 40 and 60, mild steel angle iron sections graded 40 and 60 and corrugated galvanised iron sheets SWG from India up till March 31, 2007 via land route.
The ministry of commerce had taken this decision to facilitate construction of housing units in the areas of the country that were devastated by the earthquake of October 8, 2005.
The government had allowed import of galvanised steel last year as well, during which the country had imported around 12,000 tonnes of galvanized steel sheets from India.
Although, these imports were meant for use in quake-hit areas only, traders also sold them in other parts of the country.
Keeping this in mind, this year the government placed a condition that sheets could be imported only after corrugation. Because of this condition, the quantity imported this year is less as compared with last year.
While import of steel sheets from China takes around three weeks, import from India takes one week. Pakistan usually imports steel sheets from European countries, South Africa, Japan and Taiwan.
Last year, most of the Indian steel sheets were imported by traders based in Punjab and quake-torn cities. Traders in Karachi had alleged that steel sheets imported from India were also sold in areas out of the quake-hit region. They had pointed out that it was “misuse of the government’s decision taken for the benefit of the people affected by the earthquake.”
Pakistan requires about six million tonnes of iron and steel products annually, of which hardly 25 percent is met by Pakistan Steel Mills. The rest has to be imported. The value of Pakistan’s overall iron and steel import stood at $986.351 million, down by 12.38 percent from last year’s import value of $1.125 billion.
Trade with Hindustan before Kashmir handed back to Pakistan? Do you support it or not? I do and i’m from Azad Kashmir.