ISLAMABAD: Chief Customs FBR Ikhlaq Ahmad Khattak has said that Pakistan Custom is working in challenging and difficult environment as 18 Customs officials have been martyred and more than 11 others injured for the last one year.
During an exclusive interview with Customs Today, Ikhlaq Ahmad Khattak said that Federal Board of Revenue has decided to move a summery through the Ministry of Finance that Pakistan Customs should be declared as a law enforcement agency with full authority like the other law and enforcement agencies. “Beside this, we are trying to improve the organizational structure of the Customs Department,” he added.
Khattak said, “We are expecting that the government will convert Pakistan Customs into a law and enforcement agency before the announcement of federal budget. “It is very important to improve the performance of customs,” he said.
He said that the required work in this regard has been completed and a summery would be sent in a couple of days. Pakistan Customs has yet to be declared a law enforcement agency while despite the fact we perform all functions of a law and enforcement agency. Under the C.R.PC, Pakistan Customs, police and other law and enforcement officers have the same authority. We can arrest and lodged the FIR like other law and enforcement agencies but when we do operation against smugglers and if during the exchange of firing or encounter any criminal get killed, the police lodged FIR against the Pakistan Customs.
We use the same authority which used police, they can fire or encounter of criminals but we don’t. The weapons and guns in hand of Pakistan Customs nothing more than a stick. He said customs officers and staff faced more dangerous situation than police we fight with smugglers and especially with narcotics smugglers. We usually raids on godowns factories and warehouses and how you can expect that people will not resist.
He further stated that the anti-smuggling powers delegated previously by Pakistan Customs to Pakistan Rangers and Frontier Constabulary (FC) were withdrawn in view of expansion of Pakistan Customs Service in border regions and now Pakistan Customs is planning to have an enhanced anti-smuggling role in border areas which will allow it to play an important role in national development.
The shift in the role of Pakistan Customs from a revenue collection agency to a border control agency with substantial responsibility in safe-guarding country’s trade policies is what appears to be the future of Pakistan Customs Service. He said there are clear evidences that substantial increase in revenue was registered due to improved custom processes. Pakistan Customs officers acting as guardian of the nation’s borders against illegitimate trade and regulating bona-fide trade.
