LAHORE: The Directorate General of Training& Research (Customs), Regional Office, organized three training sessions on diversified topics for officers and officials of the customs department posted in Central Region during the last two months.
A training session on “Pakistan’s Anti-Money Laundering Apparatus and Current Challenges” was held on April 12, 2019. The session was conducted by Director (In-service training), NPA Islamabad. He has a wide experience of anti-money laundering activities, having worked in Financial Monitoring Unit (FMU), FIA and NAB. He delivered an informative lecture on the concept and offence of money laundering, sources of anti-money laundering obligations and FATF Action Plan (pertaining to customs department). He also shed light on national legal framework and existing apparatus for anti-money laundering. He presented various case studies to clarify the concepts of the participants.
In the month of May, a training session on “Strategic Export Control Enforcement (STCE)” was conducted by Tahir Habib Cheema, who is a WCO accredited trainer for STCE. Mr. Cheema is a Fulbright Scholar currently posted as Deputy Secretary (Economic Affairs) in Prime Minister’s Office. He enlightened the participants about the concept and importance of strategic goods (weapons of mass destruction, conventional weapons and related items).
He also shed light on the international legal framework for Strategic Trade Control and United Nations Security Council resolution (UNSCR) No. 1540. He explained Pakistan’s international commitments and treaties pertaining to strategic goods. Participants were also enlightened about the UNSC embargoes and sanctions, currently in place all over the world. He explained the role of Customs in the light of International commitments particularly UNSCR 1540. On 14 th May, 2019, Dr. Muhammad Tayyab Safdar delivered a lecture on “Impact of CPEC on Pakistan’s Economy”. Dr. Tayyab Safdar is a Post-Doctoral Researcher at the Centre of Developmental Studies, University of Cambridge. His research at Cambridge investigates the effects of increasing Chinese investment in infrastructure projects on economic development in countries located along the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) with a particular focus on the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
Dr. Safdar briefed the participants about the Belt and Road Initiative and its constituents in the backdrop of China’s external trade. He explained Pakistan’s economic and trade situation and the likely impact of CPEC on different sectors of Pakistan’s economy, mainly, energy, transport and industrial cooperation between Pakistan and China. He shed light on the challenges and achievements of CPEC. All these lectures received a very good feed back by the participants.
The Director, Directorate General of Training & and Research (Customs), Saima Aftab shared that the Directorate will continue to arrange training on diverse topics to broaden vision and enrich knowledge of officers/officials. She stated that the aim of the Directorate is to keep the officers and officials of Customs updated on developments all around and the ways which can be utilized for achieving departmental goals.
