ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Customs has established a new customs laboratory at Azakhel dry port to facilitate trade.
The laboratory is equipped with basic instruments sufficient to conduct testing of fabrics, plastic, plastic-related products, and edibles and dyes, said a new release.
Earlier, samples were referred for testing to laboratories at Karachi, Lahore, and Faisalabad which took several days and increased costs.
Now, around 80 % of the samples would be tested at the local laboratory. With the establishment of the customs laboratory at Azakhel, a long-standing demand of the importers has been met.
They have expressed satisfaction over the operationilzation of the facility, welcoming the initiative as it would reduce delays in clearance and decrease cost, leading to a decrease in dwell time.
President Sarhad Chamber of Commerce, Junaid Altaf, also appreciated the establishment of the lab. The Customs controls shall also improve by ensuring the integrity of the samples.
Another state-of-the-art laboratory shall soon become operational at Torkham Border Station under the ITTMS Project.
