KARACHI: Collector Appraisement East Ashad Jawwad has approached Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) seeking instruction regarding the diplomatic consignment of liquor of North Korean Embassy, which was held for being in excess of allotted quota.
The diplomatic consignment arrived for North Korean Embassy arrived from Sharjah declared to be containing 445 cartons of liquor. The Embassy is lowed a quota of 445 cartons. However, the consignment was examined and found to be containing 855 cartons. Hence, the consignment was blocked.
Meanwhile, a diplomat from North Korean Embassy called Collector Ashad Jawwad suggesting the consignment enjoyed immunity. Sources said Ashad Jawad explained to the diplomat that the liquor consignment did not have any immunity and that was the reason diplomatic missions are allotted quota to import liquor.
The diplomat informed the Collector that the excess cartons were mistakenly shipped by the shipper and maintained that they would arrange re-export of the shipment back to the shipper. Collector Ashad Jawwad has sent a detailed report to FBR and has sought for further instructions in this regard.
Customs sources said that they had received intel from a sensitive agency that a particular importer of miscellaneous items in Gul Plaza with the assistance of a former PRO of some other diplomatic mission imported 18 liquor containers from UAE and got them cleared.
In the instant consignment, clearing agents M/s Furqan International filed the GD. M/s Furqan International is the clearing agency of bonded carrier M/s Waterlink. M/s Water Link is booked in an FIR with MCC Preventive in the case of pilferage of US Army/ NATO/ISAF cargo during transit to Afghanistan.
Sources said Customs has compiled data which suggests that a couple of months ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr, the flow of diplomatic confinements of liquor witness a significant surge, which is even more than the liquor imported in the entire year. (Correcting Headline, Para one Replacing South Korea with North Korea).