Imports and Exports (Control) Act, 1950

The Imports and Exports (Control) Act, 1950 is the foundational law giving Pakistan's Federal Government the power to prohibit, restrict, or otherwise control the import and export of goods. Section 3 is the core provision: it lets the Federal Government issue orders in the official Gazette to prohibit or restrict trade in specified goods, set up a licensing system for imports and exports, and charge fees connected with licences, appeals, and reviews. A 2025 amendment added a proviso letting the responsible Minister grant one-off exemptions from these restrictions on a case-by-case basis in the interest of trade.

Section 4 carries forward orders that were already in force under the earlier 1947 version of the Act. Sections 4A and 4B add further controls: 4A bars anyone from buying or selling an import licence, and 4B stops an "industrial consumer" who has imported goods under a licence from reselling them or using them for a different purpose without the Chief Controller's written permission.

Section 5 sets out penalties: anyone contravening the Act, an order made under it, or the conditions of a licence can be punished with imprisonment of up to one year, a fine, or both, without prejudice to any confiscation or penalty also available under the Customs Act, 1969. A later amendment (1997) added a separate track for export-related violations, allowing the government to suspend or cancel a person's export quotas or export registration, but only after giving them a hearing.

Section 6 restricts who can bring a prosecution under the Act -- cases overlapping with Customs Act offences must be initiated by a Collector of Customs or an authorised customs officer, while other offences are initiated by the Chief Controller, and only a Magistrate of the first class or higher can try such cases. Section 8 gives the Federal Government a general rule-making power, including setting up a Revolving Fund.

This is an old law from 1950 that has been amended repeatedly over the decades (including as recently as 2025), and several sections (5A-5C, 9) have been formally repealed. Given how central this Act is to Pakistan's current trade-policy machinery, readers should check the latest official text and any current import/export policy orders rather than relying solely on the base Act text.