KARACHI: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has been in process to induct at least 150 preventive officers for Pakistan Customs so as to overcome shortage of staff and further improve the overall performance particularly in containing ‘smuggling’, stated Collector Model Customs Collectorate Preventive, Syed Tariq Huda.
In an exclusive interview with Customs Today, the collector said that the FBR had received a number of applications for the advertisement ran in local dailies for job opportunities. The written test for the posts would be filled by strict testing system to be conducted by the National Testing Services NTS, he added.
Besides, the Chairman FBR Tariq Bajwa had approved Rs 120 million for the Pakistan Customs for purchase of speed boats equipped with latest weapons to contain the menace of smuggling.
At presently, the senior preventive officers (SPOs) and preventive officers (POs) are above 50 years of age however the field work needs to be done by the young officers. But despite all this, the present staff is doing brilliant job in containing smuggling, Tariq Huda said.
It’s been so long that there was not a single recruitment made in the Pakistan Customs in lower grades for the last 21 years, the collector said, adding that appointments would be made purely on merit and through transparent manner.
Presently, the Pakistan Customs is facing dearth of staff and a large number of senior officials are retiring on attaining sixty years of age. And almost whole employees would stand retire by the end of year 2017, he concluded.
