KARACHI: The high ups of Model Customs Collectorate (MCC) Port Muhammad Bin Qasim have decided to take disciplinary action against Principal Appraiser Tariq Aziz and Appraiser Muhammad Zubair on their alleged involvement in corruption and negligence in their duties.
Sources informed Customs Today that Collector MCC Port Qasim, Surriya Ahmed Butt while reacting upon the complaints of importers’ community against customs officials namely Principal Appraiser Tariq Aziz and Appraiser Muhammad Zubair has directed the authorities concerned of the collectorate to present the performance record of those Customs officials for several months before her so that any disciplinary action may be taken against them if they are found involved in creating nuisance for the importers during the assessment process.
Reliable sources further informed this scribe that Chief Collector Appraisement-South Nasir Masroor Ahmed would also take notice in this regard. He assured the traders and importers that their grievances would be addressed soon regarding the working of customs officials in the assessment group of MCC-Port Muhammad Bin Qasim.
They further disclosed that the importers had decided to register their complaints regarding the delay in assessment procedure before Chairman Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), Tariq Bajwa, adding that a delegation of importers would soon leave for Islamabad in order to meet FBR chairman and present their grievances in person before him.
It is pertinent to mention here that the importers and their representatives are facing difficulties and problems in assessment process for last couple of weeks, however; nothing significant has yet been done by the authorities concerned of the collectorate in order to resolve the issues of the business and importers’ community.
One of the importers on condition of anonymity informed Customs Today that one of the appraisers namely Muhammad Zubair treated the importers badly and harshly.
He said that appraiser Zubair openly stated that he was authorized to conduct assessment at his own wish and no one can intervene in his jurisdiction as he was the only king of assessment.
The importer further said that appraiser Zubair took long hours for assessment and assessed the goods as per his own rules and when the importers reached to him for addressing their grievances he stated that he had lots of work to do.
According to confirmed information given by some cadres of importers, Principal Appraiser of Group-VII Tariq Aziz is openly demanding bribe from the importers in assessing their consignments, and upon refusing, he assessed the consignments at higher value without any evidence.
One of the importers, while sharing his views with Customs Today, said that the principal appraiser of Group-VII Tariq Aziz was openly asking for Rs 100,000 as bribe from him in order to clear his consignments and upon refusing to do so, the principal appraiser assessed the consignments at higher value.
The importers while sharing their views with Customs Today hoped that the authorities concerned of the collectorate will seriously look into the matter and take cohesive action against those customs officials and officers who are involved in corruption.
They demanded of the FBR high-ups to take disciplinary action against PA Tariq Aziz and Appraiser Zubair for seeking bribe from importers, as they had strong evidence against these officials. They said that the FBR chairman should set an example by taking prompt action against the PA and the appraiser so that the government policy of ‘zero tolerance against corruption’ could be implemented in letter and spirit.
