MULTAN: Customs Intelligence actions against transporters under the head of smuggling are baseless and they have no powers to detain our vehicles. They only take these kind of action against transport vehicles to please their high ups and demand pocket money for giving us safe route.
Transporters are one of main victims of Custom Intelligence and Intelligence in all over country especially South Punjab region during their illegal actions on different check posts, Toll Plazas and Motorways. Customs Intelligence and Investigation detained transporter vehicles and imported goods for the sake of re-examination and evaluation. This hectic exercise of Customs Intelligence and Investigation affect badly to transporters who are delivering import and export consignment of business community.
It was stated by Chairman Goods Transport Association Multan Region Haji Muhammad Akram while talking to Customs Today about the illegal detention of vehicles made by Customs Intelligence and Investigation in the jurisdiction.
Transporters are the backbone of our economy and we provide services to large and small businessmen in the county by transporting their import and export goods swiftly to their desired destination .He told that Customs Intelligence and Investigation operate illegally and they stopped our transporter without any reason and they detain those loaded vehicles which were cleared from Ports on the charge of loading smuggled goods to blackmail transporters.
He said that Illegal detention tactics of Customs Intelligence and Investigation unsettle owners of shipment because it causes unnecessary delay in their delivery of their goods. When Customs Intelligence and Investigation failed to recover any discrepancies in the cleared shipments then they raise objections on the vehicle that it may be suspected and smuggled one.
Sometimes Customs Intelligence and Investigation staff told us that we need to verify the chasis and engine number and it may be doubtful and they detain said vehicle along with their shipments to blackmail innocent transporters.
We received common complaints from our transporters that Customs Intelligence and Investigation teams took lot of time for issuing no objection certificate for the genuine vehicles to upset our drivers and owners in order to compel them for sweetener. They wasted our valuable time in verification and clearance of shipments due to their illegal and dishonest attempt of blackmailing us which also creates huge unrest in the transporters association. This illegal action also incurred huge loss to transporters and due to illegal detention they deprived from daily income. Majority of drivers and transport owners are from low income backgrounds and their family become foodless due to illegal act of Customs Intelligence and we have demanded from Federal Board of Revenue that they should free transporter vehicles immediately that they earn income for their family.
Transporters are common man and they earn bread and butter from the transportation of shipments on remote location of consignee. If they got late in delivery of shipments due to protest and Customs Intelligence unlawful actions on the check posts without ant reasons it cost badly to transporters and their family and on the side importers are not ready to compensate with us. Sometimes Customs Intelligence and Investigation raised groundless objections that engine of the vehicle or body is not genuine so we made seizure report against vehicle. Majority of their seizure reports formed against transporters proved wrong in the Customs Adjudication and other courts but it took months and weeks to prove innocent in any seizure case due to slow justice system of this country.
We demanded from Federal Board of Revenue to take firm action against detecting officer for framing illegal case and criminal case should be lodged against these officers for betterment of Customs Intelligence and Investigation. Customs Intelligence has not done any suspension and termination of their any employee after formation of illegal seizure case. Customs Intelligence and Investigation is also notorious in their reputation for blackmailing transporters in different parts of country.
Transporters operating in the country are doing legal business and they are performing their job honestly .we utilized customs paid vehicles for transporting of goods in the country and we are vulnerable society but Customs Intelligence and Investigation treated us inhumanly on the check posts and openly demanded us money for releasing our vehicles. Few of our transporters gave distortion money and bribe to corrupt Customs Intelligence staff in order to avoid their illegal action against them. Paying kickbacks to Customs Intelligence staff and Investigation staff also saves our valuable time during delivery of any imported goods to its desired location.
Those transporters who refuse to give them bribe then they face detention, seizure and hectic exercise of their issuing no objection certificate to legal vehicles.
Customs Intelligence has not suspended and terminates any employee after formation of illegal seizure case. We demanded that government should take stern action against those who made unlawful seizure against transporters and demanded kickbacks for safe passage.
