KARACHI: A division bench of High Court of Sindh (SHC) comprising Justice Sajjad Ali Shah and Justice Muhammad Junaid Ghaffar allowed time to the counsel for Port Muhammad Bin Qasim Authority to seek instructions regarding payment of 50 per cent of taxes etc.
The bench was hearing a suit filed by Port Qasim Authority seeking release of 4 tug boats. PQA is seeking exemption while Pakistan Custom maintains that Custom duty and other taxes are applicable and payable.
Earlier, Masooda Wahab advocate, counsel for defendant Custom officials submitted that suit has become infructuous in after the plaintiff has submitted the Goods Declaration (GD) after which duties and taxes have been assessed by the respondent Principal Appraiser. Referring to the claim for exemption from custom duty and taxes, Counsel for defendant relied upon the minutes of meeting of the Committee constituted by Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) which disallowed any exemption.
The court after this stance taken by the counsel for defendant asked the counsel for plaintiff that whether they are ready to provide security at-least to the 50 per cent of the assessed duties and taxes. The counsel sought time for seeking instructions at which the bench extending the interim orders passed earlier adjourned further hearing till December 21, 2015.
Principal Appraiser Hamid Umar had detected this case while Principal Appraiser pursued it to the proper prosecution.