KARACHI: Collector MCC Appraisement West Shahnaz Maqbool has formed a team headed by Deputy Collector Imran Rasool and comprising PA Abdul Qayyum, AO Shahid Dasti, Imran Gul and others for post-release verification (PRV) under risk management system (RMS) of consignments being cleared from green channel.
The team scrutinized the affairs of M/s Digicom (Qmobile) and it was found that four containers were cleared, the declared weight was 7,000 KG/container, but RMS cleared it at the actual weight of 21,000 KG/container. However, the consignment was cleared from the green channel despite this anomaly.
The system when detects any anomaly in weight, the consignment is automatically switched to red channel, but it happened in this case, which suggests something fishy.
M/s Digicom had filed the first GD for LED lights from MCC Appraisement West and yet the consignment was referred to green channel, which is another violation of the procedure. It may be mentioned here that first the profile of importer and the goods imported is formed and then the green channel is granted.
However, in case of M/s Digicom, all the rules and procedures were ignored as M/s Digicom had made some pre-arrangement in this regard.
Chief Collector Abdul Rasheed Sheikh is the head of RMS. It may be recalled that officers making cases and serving contraventions against importers having green channel status faced wrath of Chief Collector and several were transferred and even explanation memos were served on officials.
Moreover, the examination staff was barred from calling documents and examination of the consignments passing through the green channel, as such a ground is made for a potential mega-scam.
As huge evasion and violations of laws were detected, collectorates including MCC Appraisement West, MCC Appraisement East and MCC Port Qasim are taking measures on collectorate level to check this revenue evasion. However, Appraisement South has not taken any measures to conduct proper examination of consignments through green channel.
Official said green channel had caused huge loss to the national economy through revenue evasion while on the other hand it is suspected that certain contraband goods such as arms, explosives, chemicals and liquor had been cleared through green channel.
The pattern of Chief Collector Abdul Rasheed Sheikh is quite similar to Director General Customs Intelligence Shaukat Ali as these both two officers are pressurizing their staff through transfers and even threatening to damage the ACR of officers.
It is known that Tahir Qureshi, Ashraf Ali of Grade-20 and certain other officers have been advised to send their ACRs, and it is expected that the ACRs of these honest and competent officers would be damaged reflecting on their carrier as these officers did not bow to the illegal instructions of the two above mentioned officers.
On the other hand is smuggling is also on the rise and Customs Intelligence seems to have turned a blind eye on the issue. Smuggling causes collateral damage to the country as on one hand it adversely affects the local industry and legitimate traders and on the other hand, terrorists and anti-social elements are funded through the money made with this dirty business.
Customs Appraisement South generates around 85 percent of the total revenue collected by Pakistan Customs and the conspiracy is on to corrupt the affairs at this sensitive collectorate with an ultimate aim to weaken Pakistan.
For the last two and a half year, Green Channel facility has served the primary benefactor of unscrupulous elements as a flood of high-value, high-tariff and even contrabands were cleared through green channel through mis-declaration causing a loss to the national exchequer.
Pakistan is faced with multiple threats and enemies abroad have been chalking out various designs to derail the economy and peace in the country. The China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is also being targeted. Chief of Army Staff General Bajwa has also highlighted the fragile condition of the country’s economy.
It is the need of hour that political and military leadership join hands to thwart the conspiracies against the country and the pawns of these anti-Pakistan forces present within the institutions, bureaucracy, judiciary and trade bodies are dealt with iron hands.