ISLAMABAD: A petition seeking rehearing of a case carrying complaint against seizure of over 150 mobile phones is likely to be taken up by the Customs Appellate Tribunal in coming week.
A division bench of the tribunal would resume the hearing of the case after arrival of the tribunal chairman next week who had to oversee the administrative measure of the tribunal. Tribunal’s members, including Nair Khan and Ziauddin Wazir would hear the matter. The office had yet to fix the date of hearing for the case.
The appellant, through the case had challenged the decision in which tribunal had ordered to maintain seizure of mobile phones first confiscated by the customs authorities at Benazir Bhutto International Airport, Islamabad.
That time, Customs Appellate Tribunal’s single bench comprising Member Technical, Muhammad Nasir Khan heard the petition challenging Collectorate of Islamabad’s decision of mobile phones confiscation.
The tribunal had then dismissed the matter and upheld Collectorate’s decision regarding confiscation of mobile phones worthy Rs 6 million.
The petitioner had brought the mobiles into Pakistan through airport which Customs had declared illegal and in violation of regulations adopted for carrying mobiles phone in luggage.
The customs authorities had confiscated the mobile phones at the airport and subsequently decided not to release them as the petitioner had violated the rules while returning to Pakistan. He had claimed that he carried 170 mobile phone which he gift his friends and family members.
