FAISALABAD: The purpose of the highly esteemed department of customs is to facilitate the business community and save the economy of the country by curbing the menace of smuggling. The government establishes different institutions or departments to provide the investment-friendly environment to the traders, importers and exporters rather than to panic them.
Faisalabad importers said that, for import and export sector, customs has a key position as its main objective is to facilitate the business community besides clearing consignments of traders on priority so that they could develop their businesses more and more which would ultimately bring employment opportunities for youth and increase the tax to GDP ratio.
Some black sheep in customs intelligence not only ruin the credibility of the department for their vested interests but also cause the businessmen ruination. He added that importers are facing problems in clearance of their consignments at many dry ports and seaports due to which they have to divert their clearance to other ports.
Sources made some shocking revelations about Faisalabad Customs Intelligence and Investigation as to three employees were transferred from Faisalabad with immediate effect and assigned new duties for achieving better results. The employees transferred include Intelligence Officers Muhammad Saleem and liaqat Ali Wasli and Sepoy Israr Ahmed who have been transferred from Regional Tax Office Faisalabad to Regional Tax Office Quetta.
Similarly, the NAB chairman has asked the FBR chairman to tighten the noose around the neck of ‘corrupt’ FBR and customs officials. Recently, Customs Appraiser at Peshawar Dry Port Hidayat Ullah has been arrested by the NAB. This was stated by NAB official that the alleged culprit has caused the national exchequer a loss of some Rs4000million.
Recently, importers of Karachi, Lahore, Multan, Faisalabad and Islamabad wrote a letter to FBR Chairman Tariq Pasha to take note of the gross misconduct and misuse of authority by some of the officers of Directorate General of Intelligence.
