QUETTA: In order to efficiently handle the flow of cargo through China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the Pakistan Customs is in the process of establishing a state-of-the-art Directorate General in Quetta; however, Quetta Customs will continue to assist the relevant authorities till the new Directorate General is set up.
Additional Collector Samiul Haq, while talking with Customs Today, said that border security-related issues have always been a priority for the Collectorates. He stated that coordination with the relevant law-enforcement agencies ranks high on the priority list of this formation.
Such coordination ranges from policy level contacts at the highest level to joint operations in inaccessible areas, he said, adding that close liaison with the law-enforcement agencies greatly addressed the issues of personnel shortages and avoided any duplication of effort. Such efforts have also ensured that any movement of illicit arms and ammunition does not take place across international frontiers, he said.
The flagship development project of Pakistan, CPEC, will be passing through the area falling under the jurisdiction of Quetta Customs.
The main artery of the western route of the CPEC traverses through this Collectorate commencing from Basima and going to DI Khan via Surab, Kalat, Quetta, Qilla Saifullah and Zhob.
He added that Quetta Customs has already established en route Customs Station at Manikhwa, Baleli, and land has been acquired at Ziarat while a proposal has been sent to the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) for replicating the same at Qilla Saifullah, Kalat, Surab and Khuzdar.
The CPEC is expected to greatly enhance the flow of goods which would greatly benefit from the secure business environment being established by Quetta Customs.
Answering to a query, he said that continuous engagement of the stakeholders in the process of reform and clearance practices is a hallmark of the Collectorate which has benefited both the trade and department immensely.
The local trade and customs brokers stay in close contact with all the relevant customs staff. The local chamber of commerce and trade associations are always well represented in the various functions of the Collectorate, which enables both the customs and trade to exchange views on issues of mutual interest, he added.
Samiul Haq said that the officers of the Quetta Customs are always present in meetings of the chamber and all-out assistance is being extended to the traders for resolution of their genuine demands. He added that the friendly relationship between traders and the department help sort out hurdles in the way of smooth flow of legitimate trade.
He said that the Collectorate is planning to expand the reach of Customs control to inaccessible areas by establishing Customs stations en route, improve the quality of the work through stricter controls, make the Customs processes transparent, expand the scope of non-intrusive inspections, use of technology for speedy clearance of goods, expanding the coverage of the Customs Computerized System (WeBOC) and data-based risk management system for providing a secure business environment for sustainable economic development of the country.
