top of page

Source: Reuters

Jun 2, 2023

Pakistan outlines process for barter trade with Afghanistan, Iran, Russia

By Ariba Shahid and Asif Shahzad


KARACHI, Pakistan, June 2 (Reuters) - Pakistan has passed a special order to allow barter trade with Afghanistan, Iran and Russia for certain goods, including petroleum and gas, the Ministry of Commerce said on Friday.


Left with barely enough foreign exchange reserves to cover one month's imports, Pakistan's government is desperately trying to manage a balance of payments crisis and bring inflation under control after it hit a record of nearly 38% last month.


The government order, called the Business-to-business (B2B) Barter Trade Mechanism 2023 and dated June 1, lists goods that can be bartered. State and privately owned entities would need approval to participate in the trade mechanism.


After Pakistan's first purchase of discounted Russian oil in April, petroleum minister Musadik Malik told Reuters that Pakistan would only be buying crude, not refined products under the deal.


There was no confirmation about how the payment would be made. But, Malik said purchases could rise to 100,000 barrels per day (bpd) if the first transaction went smoothly.


Last year, Pakistan imported 154,000 bpd of crude oil, little changed from 2021, data from analytics firm Kpler showed.


In May, Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association complained that up to 35% of the diesel sold in Pakistan had been smuggled from Iran.


Pakistan's government has also ordered a clamp down on smuggling of flour, wheat, sugar, and fertilizer to Afghanistan.



Reporting by Ariba Shahid and Asif Shahzad; Editing by Christina Fincher & Simon Cameron-Moore

© 2022 by IranTimes.com - All rights Reserved.

Get Social

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
  • Instagram

- Committed to delivering real time, unbiased news about IRAN to readers all over the world.

- Our mission is to tell the truth as nearly as the truth can    be ascertained.

- Cover a diverse range of topics and perspectives in a      sincere, relatable voice.

- We shall tell ALL the truth so far as we can learn it,            concerning the critical affairs of IRAN and the world.

bottom of page