KARACHI: A division bench of the Sindh High Court (SHC) issued notices to the customs officials and directed them to file their respective parawise comments on a constitutional petition filed by Bashir Ahmed, an importer against detention of his imported 25 Falcons by deputy collector of customs.
On 27 November 2020, during the hearing, counsel for the petitioner stated that his client carried on his falconry related business since last many years at Karachi valid vide license issued by Chairman Sindh Wildlife Management Board Karachi.
He further stated that on October 15, 2020 Shafi Ullah Khan Niazi, Deputy Collector of Customs along with his team (eight persons in plain cloths) armed with deadly weapons without any notice/ warrant and entered forcibly into the dwelling house by climbing house wall misbehaved with the petitioner’s house members and guests present at the petitioner’s premises and picked up 25 falcons five lac rupee cash, gold ornaments of petitioner’s wife, 5 mobile phones.
He submitted that petitioner provided all the necessary documents on questioning about the live falcons the petitioner provided the customs officials with duly issued license from the concerned department, however, petitioner was required to pay bribe of one million rupees if he wants to take his birds back and on refusal due to inability to pay the huge amount the FIR was registered against the petitioner.
Citing MCC Enforcement & Compliance Customs Preventive Anti-Smuggling Organization, Shafi Ullah Khan Niazi, Deputy Collector of Customs and chairman Sindh WildLife Management Board Karachi as respondents, petitioner pleaded the court may order the respondents to stop harassing the petitioner any further and to return the stolen money, gold, ornaments, mobile phones and 25 live falcons to the petitioner without fail and immediately as these birds would lose their worth being in the possession of unskilled persons at customs house.
