KARACHI: All Pakistan Appraisement Officers Association has suggested suitable reorganization of Customs formations to complement higher degree of automation, efficient revenue collection and trade facilitation with increased focus on security.
Globally, Customs formations are engaged in the implementation and enforcement of various legislations, Conventions and International Mutual Co-operation Agreements relating not only to matters of economic interest like Customs tariffs and laws, but also to wide ranging issues of national importance and public concern that include security, safety, health, environment, consumer protection, illicit traffic in drugs, CITES, IPR etc.
Internationally, there has been paradigm shift in the role of Customs and Pakistan Customs is also continuously undergoing significant changes.
These challenges require suitable re-organization of Customs formations which, inter alia, include a rational promotion policy for garnering energetic and professionally experienced & competent executive cadre officers to higher ranks. It is not only important for provision of career opportunities and career progression but also extremely significant for the sound institutional development of the department.
This aspect, unfortunately, is ignored in the past as executive Cadre have not been promoted to higher ranks even after passage of 25 years of service.
All Pakistan Appraisement Officers Association has prepared several recommendations to ensure carrier progression of Customs appraising officers and to remove the cadre stagnation. The same would be presented before the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).
According to the proposals, role of principal appraiser has lost its significance in the prevalent regime of automation. Practically, the powers of assessment reviews of the principal appraisers and assistant collectors overlap each other, thus, are creating duplication of the process culminating into hindrance in smooth and speedy disposal of routine work.
The association proposes the post of principal appraiser (BS-17) may be declared as dying cadre and present sanctioned strength of 103 posts of the principal appraiser across the country may be merged into the sanctioned strength of the assistant collectors of the Pakistan Customs Service.
Moreover, the present lot of notified principal appraisers (BS-17) may be promoted to the post of assistant collector (BS-17) forthwith on one time optional basis against these 103 posts.
However, the posts which remain vacant, for shortage of the Principal Appraisers for any reason, may be filled, as a part of aforesaid one time basis settlement, through selection among the appraisers on seniority-cum-quota basis.
It is also proposed, that the quota for the post of assistant collector may be altered which will prove to be two pronged approach and address the stagnation concerns. It may be mentioned here the minimum educational requirement for both the posts i.e. assistant collector (BS-17) and appraisers (BS-16) is graduation and both the posts are now filled through Federal Public Service Commission of Pakistan.
The restructuring of Customs formations will not only eliminate the cadre stagnation of the appraisers whose career progression has stalled due to present service structure but will flourish the working of the Customs service group to the maximum level when experienced staff and fresh incumbent assistant collector work together in harmonized manner and share the experience and knowledge about a purely technical law enforcement field of revenue collection.