ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Customs has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening regional customs cooperation and promoting secure, technology-driven trade facilitation by actively participating in the 11th Policy-Level Meeting of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)–World Customs Organization (WCO) Passenger and Cargo Control Programme (PCCP/IREN) held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
Pakistan’s delegation was led by Member Customs (Operations) Syed Shakeel Shah, Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), accompanied by Director General Reforms and Automation, Pakistan Customs, Muhammad Imran Khan Mohmand.
The high-level meeting brought together senior customs officials from across the region to discuss measures aimed at strengthening regional cooperation for secure, seamless and technology-enabled trade.
The participants deliberated on advancing trade facilitation through mutual recognition of Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) programmes, recognition of regulatory documents, wider adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled risk management and data analytics, and enhanced public-private partnerships to facilitate legitimate trade while combating illicit cross-border activities.
The participating customs administrations agreed to establish dedicated technical working groups to prepare draft protocols in priority areas, paving the way for greater digital integration, improved regulatory cooperation and more efficient regional trade and transit.
On the sidelines of the meeting, the Pakistan delegation held a bilateral meeting with the First Deputy Chairman of the Customs Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan to review progress under existing customs cooperation mechanisms and discuss expanding collaboration in strategic areas, including National Targeting Centres, transit cargo tracking, AI and machine learning-based risk management, customs digitalization, intelligence-led enforcement and enhanced exchange of customs information.
During the meeting, Syed Shakeel Shah highlighted that Uzbekistan is the first country with which Pakistan has established advance customs information exchange through the Pakistan Single Window (PSW) for both imports and exports, marking a significant milestone in digital customs cooperation.
Building on this achievement, both sides agreed to explore extending the existing digital connectivity to include transit trade information.
The initiative is expected to improve the quality and timeliness of customs data exchange, strengthen border controls, reduce clearance times and facilitate faster, more secure and seamless regional trade and transit.
The two sides reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthening bilateral customs cooperation through enhanced digital connectivity, coordinated border management, exchange of best practices and adoption of modern customs technologies. These measures are expected to enhance supply chain security, facilitate legitimate trade and contribute to greater regional economic integration.
Pakistan Customs reiterated its resolve to leverage innovation, digital transformation and international cooperation to build a modern customs administration that enhances trade competitiveness while ensuring effective enforcement and robust border security.
