KARACHI: The importers of banned Indian gray fabrics have changed their way to hoodwink the customs officials to avail FTA benefits illegally, Customs Today has learnt by a senior official of the Pakistan Customs.
The consignments of Indian gray fabrics are sent to UAE and then are imported through the Chinese ports. The importers then file original Billing of Landing (BLs) and other documents, showing that the consignments are imported from China.
Some big importers of gray Indian fabrics are involved in the racket with the help of some Chinese companies.
“They are not only succeeding in their efforts to import banned Indian fabric but also getting Free Trade Agreement (FTA) facilities and subsidies” officials said.
In the recent past, some two dozen FIRs were registered by Appraisement East and Appraisement West against those importers, clearing agents and shipping companies which were involved in smuggling of banned Indian fabrics thorough fake BLs and using other importers IDs.
“We registered various FIRs in 2016 after information was received that Indian fabric was being illegally imported into Pakistan via Dubai. Indian fabric (printed/grey) is banned to be imported in Pakistan. This fabric is dumped in Dubai and then imported in Pakistan by mis-declaring the port of shipment as China,” official further informed.
Further investigations revealed the goods were loaded from India and landed at UAE with final destination as Pakistan, the importers manipulated the Bill of Landing, showing that the consignments originated from China.
In that scam, the officials of the R&D submitted a report in the court, revealing that they investigated four cases, but there were hundreds of cases of mis-declaration.
Importers with the help of clearing agents and one of shipping company used to load their consignments from Indian, UAE or Iranian ports but in the documents they claimed Chinese port and this change of ports in documents were proved by custom officials in the court.
“After that racket was unearthed by customs know the racket also have change its tactics know they are not tampering the documents but first getting their consignments shipped to the Chinese ports and then towards final destination at Karachi’s ports” source further informed.
According to the official, they have written a letter to Islamabad with their findings and sought directives from high ups of FBR because they cannot do anything despite being known to the facts.
