KARACHI: Customs House in the only port city of the country hangs about idle for another day due to panic gripping the city after arrest of city’s major political party’s chief in UK over money laundering charges. A similar suspension follows at Karachi Port Trust and Port Qasim.
An estimated Rs 2 billion loss ensues to the national exchequer daily due to the prevailing idleness of the ports and customs offices alone. The inward and outward cargo movement has been brought to a halt as well.
Sources said that Goods Declarations (GDs) were being received; however, customs remained unable to process them because of uncertainty that engulfed the city after the news of detention of MQM’s chief Altaf Hussain in UK. MQM workers, supporters and sympathisers have been staging sit-in since Tuesday evening occupying main routes that connects Karachi to other cities.
Customs offices remained opened with very thin attendance. No clearance of cargo was witnessed, due to absence of importers and their clearing agents at Customs House. As a result, budgetary measures to avoid revenue shortfall are immensely disturbed.
Cargo handling at KPT and Port Qasim also remained as usual, while, following the absence of goods carriers, the import and export cargo could not leave the port area or brought in. Truckers and transporters are avoiding bringing their vehicles in the city as some public vehicles were torched on Tuesday. Trucks loaded with import cargo did not move out of port area and remained parked inside the ports owing to city situation.
Customs department clears around 300 to 350 containers per day but due to a standstill situation a backlog of almost a similar number of containers is enduring.
