KARACHI: The rift between Customs Intelligence officials and high-ups of the Pakistan Customs still continues, as the officials are being served explanation memos on absence by collectorates on a daily basis.
Sources informed Customs Today that the authorities were serving memos on latecomers without considering their performance.
An official on the condition of anonymity said that high-ups just wanted to ensure attendance of all staff at office from 9am to 5pm to following the orders of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).
He further said that intelligence officials in any part of the world have no specific timings to attend the office, as they have to conduct investigations and raids in different timings of the day. He added that officials also have to go to customs courts and other respective courts to attend the hearing of cases.
“If one is attending an important hearing in courts, how it will be possible for him to come to office at 9am just to ensure his attendance?” he said.
The official added that the government will lose millions of rupees due to non-appearance of Customs Intelligence officials in the respective courts,” he added.
The official was of the view that ensuring attendance as per the directives was relatively easy when compared to investigating the case and following such type of case in order to recover evaded governmental amount.
The officials feared that if the said practice continues, the intelligence unit’s existence in all FBR wings will not be fruitful, as the officials will pay more attention towards attendance in office instead of following tax evasion cases.
They demanded that the FBR authorities concerned exempt the officials of Customs Intelligence from ensuring office timings, so that they could carry on their intelligence work with more competencies.
