Supreme Court rules shelled almonds and cashews are not smuggled goods
The Supreme Court of Pakistan in Islamabad ruled on October 8, 2026, that shelled almonds and cashews do not qualify as smuggled goods under the Customs Act.
Court dismisses customs appeal
A three-member bench led by Chief Justice Yahya Afridi rejected appeals from customs officials. The judges held that violating import restrictions does not automatically make specific items legally smuggled. This decision overturned earlier rulings made by the Balochistan High Court.
Legal definition of goods
Justice Muhammad Shafi Siddiqui wrote that almonds and cashews fall outside the broad phrase used in relevant notifications. The court noted that separate entries for other food items like edible oil prevent such a wide interpretation. Consequently, vehicles carrying these nuts cannot be confiscated solely because they breached import rules.
All 2 outlets report consistently
No differences in figures, names or dates across these reports.
- Associated Press of Pakistan
- Business Recorder
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2 independent outlets. Headlines as published. Links open the original report.