KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) fixed August 31, 2016 as a tentative date for the hearing of a constitutional petition filed by Saqlain and Abdul Commercial Import Traders, seeking release order of its consignment of serviceable auto parts and used machinery imported from Nottingham, UK.
Earlier, the petitioner stated that on February 27, 2015, the petitioner imported consignment of serviceable auto parts and used machinery from Nottingham, UK to Mirpur Azad Kashmir. All the documents of the consignment were complete.
According to the petitioner, Mashwani International made fake and fraudulent application with collusion of United Marine Company, for clearance of shipment, and presented own-made, fake and frivolous documents that had no any registration and sales tax numbers without permission of the petitioner; therefore, the consignment reached at Karachi Port instead of Azad Kashmir.
The petitioner informed the court that he visited Karachi Customs House on March 15, 2015 and inquired about his consignment to release; however, the officials informed the petitioner that it only deals with clearing agent, on which he appointed a clearing agent named Zee Shippers International which had taken a huge amount of near about Rs 400,000 for settlement of the matter with the officials but no work have been done. The petitioner submitted that officials of the customs authorities imposed heavy duties on his cheap consignment for which the petitioner have no means to pay.
Citing Model Customs Collectorate Appraisement-East, Ministry of Interior secretary, United Marine Agencies Pvt Ltd, Mashwani International, Zee Shippers International and NLC Container International as respondents, the petitioner pleaded the SHC may direct the respondents to withdraw and waive off taxes illegally imposed on the above consignment from starting till date and direct the respondents to release the said consignment of the petitioner.
