MULTAN: Business community of South Punjab showed severe concerns over non-professional behavior of corrupt Principal Appraiser Dost Muhammad and others who are involved in rampant smuggling of foreign goods through Port Qasim.
Serious irregularities have been surfaced in the clearance of illegal goods through involvement of few customs officials like Principal Appraiser Dost Muhammad is a huge challenge for national economy and illegal smuggling of goods are damaging businesses of genuine importers.
It was stated by Chairman All Pakistan Anjuman Tajiran Khawaja Suleman Siddiqui while talking to Customs Today on TP mega scam of few corrupt Customs Officials.
He said that it is an alarming situation for business community that indicates patronage of some corrupt customs officers. Few Customs officials like Appraiser Dost Muhammad who are operating their parallel smuggling network for illegal clearance of contraband items and others.
He said that majority of corrupt customs officials are serving at key positions in the department and Federal Board of Revenue have given them free space for their corruption. It is unfortunate that hundreds of customs officials are facing inquiries on serious charges of corruption and they are still posted on key post for managing their smuggling network which is continuously causing huge revenue loss to the national exchequer.
Customs staff deputed at the Port Qasim are hatched up for the illegal clearance of import shipments and they adopt new means of corruption due to inefficiency of administration. He expressed disappointment over posting of corrupt officials in the customs department including appraiser, examiners, assistant collector, deputy collector, additional collector and others. Involvement of customs officials in the smuggling is like financial terrorism in the country. “Every kind of smuggling activity is devastating to the economy, but the smuggling of unscrupulous elements causes wreckage not only to the economy, but also to people’s lives in the country.
Khawaja said that corruption among customs officials indicates a failure of our system where pursuit of private gratification subdues national interest” and warned that it could have “frightening ramifications” for the country’s financial system and lives of citizens. Corrupt Customs staff deputed at Karachi Port is involved in the clearance of banned and prohibited items in the country which may cause threat to public safety. Unfortunately government has failed to implement any sound policy against corrupt officials like Dost Muhammad in the customs department and several importers and businessmen complaints revealed that customs high ups have not taken any action against them and they were deputed on key positions after paying bribing to their high ups and this scam will not appear if they have taken any serious action before this TP mega Scam.
It is an open fact that smugglers or importers get away with under-invoicing, as well as making false declarations with the help of the customs appraisers and they assist them just for the sake of bribery and they blackmail importers in case of rejection them any backhander.
He said that major manufacturers in Pakistan, cannot compete with the kind of prices available in the market for the imported products because of this corruption and businesses has also suffered due to this and we pay heavy cost in shape of loss.
