PESHAWAR : The Pakistan Tehrek Insaf led federal government must do justice with importers by taking action against financial crimes committed by Qasim International Port Terminal (QICT) and Maersk Pakistan without further delay. The QICT and shipping lines for years kept on taking extra demurrage and detention charges even after issuance of delay certificate by authorities.
This was said by Senator Bahramand Khan Tangi while talking with Customs Today at Peshawar. National Accountability Bureau (NAB) is very busy these days to eliminate corrupt practices and it should also act to file reference against QICT and Maersk shipping line for taking extra detention and demurrage charges from importers, Senator Bahramand Khan said, adding that it is a violation of shipping business rules to take undocumented taxes from importers which is a crime of serious notion and causes further losses to national economy.
The senator further said that new technology needs to be utilised for satisfaction of importers during inquiry of their goods and duties applied on them. The government’s prime duty is to ensure the business community that their money and goods are in safe hands. If such actions would be allowed then business community will have to face further losses.
The Maersk shipping line and QICT must facilitate importers of Pakistan and avoid frustrating them by violating FBR rules (SROs) by taking extra charges than fixed by Government of Pakistan. It’s disappointed that government has not taken steps to root out corruption in such large scale at QICT despite nation-wise anti-corruption raids.
The Pakistan People Party senator from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa who has also been chairman of standing committee of Senate on communications and works further said that it’s a matter of worry that a multinational company is violating prescribed rules of our country and evading billions of taxes along with looting importers all over the country.
The authorities concerned as well as the security agencies need to conduct fair accountability for looting importers from such a long time by QICT and Maersk Pakistan.
The senator added that shipping lines other than Maersk are facilitating importers but due to market monopoly Maersk line is taking advantage and looting importers. ‘I wonder that in so many ways importers have been discouraged in Pakistan by shipping lines like Maersk but government remains unaware of the situation for decades which causes further losses to national exchequer,’ the senator added.
The Senator further expressed that leadership of Imran Khan government will be tested upon taking actions against such mega scams of corruption. The Government must stand with importers and do not need to tolerate any injustice with importers.
Soon the matter will be discussed with high-ups of government and complete justice will be done with importers in the mega scandal of demurrage and detention charges, the senator said.
