ISLAMABAD: In his message, FBR Chairman Tariq Pasha said as Pakistan Customs celebrates International Customs Day on 26th January, 2018 along with other Customs Administrations across the world, I congratulate all officers and officials of Customs on this special day. This year, the International Customs Day heralds the launch of World Customs Organization (WCO)’s chosen theme of “Security of the Business Environment” with the slogan “A Secure Business Environment for Economic Development”. While it is true that Customs helps connect borders, nevertheless, Customs Administrations the world over must perform a delicate balancing act between trade facilitation and the simultaneous implementation of effective and efficient controls and checks on the movement of goods and people.
He said, “It gives me great pleasure to note that the International Customs Day this year finds Pakistan Customs better equipped than ever to deal with security challenges posed to the global supply chain through the effective implementation of various measures, thereby ensuring a more stable and safe business environment.”
FBR Chairman Tariq Pasha said, “Rapid globalization in recent years has redrawn the parameters of international trade, laying greater emphasis on constant information exchange, not only amongst different jurisdictions, but also with the business community. This exchange of data becomes possible only with increased automation of Customs processes. FBR’s automated cargo clearance system WeBOC ensures that effective analysis of the data at its disposal, allows Pakistan Customs to employ a more targeted approach towards enforcement and border security, consequently enhancing the security of the business environment without compromising trade facilitation.”
He said, “With Pakistan Customs being a signatory to both the Revised Kyoto Convention and WTO’s Trade Facilitation Agreement, we recognize that a safe business environment is an important prerequisite for trade facilitation. For this purpose, various tools are at our disposal, including risk management on the basis of advance information, Non-Intrusive Inspection Technology, export controls and information exchange between the public and private sectors.”
“While felicitating the officers and officials of Pakistan Customs on this auspicious occasion, I expect them to continue to strive for greater professionalism in line with international best practices, to enable them to take intelligent enforcement decisions on the basis of information sharing, more targeted data analysis and greater engagement with stakeholders to ensure a secure business environment conducive to sustained economic growth,” he added.
