KARACHI: In a surprising move, the Federal board of Revenue (FBR) has notified transfers and postings of BS-20 and BS-19 officers of Pakistan Customs Service (PCS).

Sources said that usually there were no transfers and postings during April because of the federal budget preparations, which are in full swing in April, May. It was also learnt that these transfers and postings were effected due to political pressure and are considered abnormal across the board.

Collector MCC Appraisement West Dr. Owais Agha Jawwad has been transferred to the office of Director Internal Audit Customs Karachi. Dr. Jawwad is investigating a high profile case of switch bills of lading wherein M/s AMI Pakistan Pvt Ltd imported numerous consignments of banned products through mis-declaring port of origin of goods and port of shipment to circumvent certain provisions of the import policy order. It may be mentioned here that M/s AMI Pakistan is the part of Marine Group of Companies.

It is more interesting to note that no officer has been properly assigned the office of Collector MCC Appraisement West and Dr. Fareed Iqbal Qureshi Director of Reforms and Automation Karachi has been given additional charge of Collector MCC Appraisement West.

Collector MCC Appraisement East Majid Yousafani has been transferred to the post of Chief FBR (Hqrs) Islamabad and Director Post Clearance Audit Islamabad Ashhad Jawwad is posted as Collector MCC Appraisement East.

Majid Yousafanihad also made significant progress in the switch bill of lading case and over a dozen FIRs were lodged against M/s AMI Pakistan by MCC Appraisement East.

Other BS-20 officers reshuffled include Muhammad Saleem Director, Directorate General of Intelligence & Investigation-FBR, Islamabad who would also look after the charge of Director I&I-Customs Peshawar.

Dr. Naeem Khan Director, Directorate General of Transit Trade is moved to Chief FBR (Hqs) Islamabad; Dr. Kamal Azhar Minhas Collector MCC Gilgit-Baltistan is transferred to Director PCA Islamabad; Qurban Ali Khan Collector, Model Customs Collectorate, Peshawar would also look after the office of Director Transit Trade Peshawar; Muhammad Aamer is moved to the office of Chief, Federal Board of Revenue (Hq), Islamabad from the office of Director, Directorate of Intelligence & Investigation-FBR, Rawalpindi; Mohammad Ali Raza Hanjra is posted as Collector, Model Customs Collectorate, Gilgit-Baltistan as he is moved from the office of Collector, Collectorate of Customs (Adjudication), Islamabad.

PCS officers of BS-19 reshuffled include Nasraullah Khan Wazir, he is posted as Director (Ops) I&I Customs Rawalpindi from Additional Director PCA Karachi; Muhammad Asghar Khan is posted as Secretary FBR (Hqrs) Islamabad from the office of Director (Ops) I&I-Customs Peshawar and Dr. Akhtar Hussain is posted as Collector (Ops) Customs Adjudication Islamabad after being moved from the post of Additional Director PCA Lahore.

These abnormal transfers and postings would adversely impact the anti-smuggling campaign going on across the country while many other initiatives taken by the authorities would also be effected.