KARACHI: Container terminal and shipping lines have decided to approach court of law against a cartel of toy importers, as these importers have resorted to blackmailing and defamation tactics to pressurize the authorities and getting their mis-declared goods released.
During last couple of days, importers namely M/s Xing International owned by Syed Ahtasham Hussain Naqvi and M/s One Ten World owned by Mr. Mohammad Nouman Suleman have been misusing blog sites and news media for blackmailing various shipping lines, container terminals, Pakistan Customs and their officials to create pressure and getting their offending goods cleared.
This is not the very first time that a misuse and exploitation of media is being made for blackmailing the shipping lines, container terminals and Pakistan Customs and character assassination of their officials. The sad part is that this has become a routine and is giving rise to paid yellow journalism.
It is important to note here that these notorious importers M/s Xing International and M/s One Ten World are using these tactics to get undue advantage by creating unnecessary pressure on trade stakeholders at the cost of government exchequer.
These importers have written letters to shipping lines and container terminals alleging them of not honoring the delay detention certificates issued by Pakistan Customs and threatening them of severe consequences.
However, officials at Pakistan Customs informed that M/s Xing International and M/s One Ten World were never issued any delay and detention certificate and all the containers imported by M/s Xing International and M/s One Ten World are still on hold by Pakistan Customs due to mis-declaration therefore the question of not honoring the delay detention certificate can’t be raised.
Sources in R&D told Customnews.pk, that the officials had informed PICT terminal and shipping line that the delay & detention certificates were fake and forged and no official file existed in Customs record.
There is a procedure that a file is developed which moves around for the issuance of delay and detention certificates and such a certificate is issued after a number of approvals.
It may be mentioned here that Pakistan Customs has penalized this blackmailing cartel of toy importers for concealing the actual description of the goods to take an attempt for getting the goods assessed on suppressed values for evading government’s legitimate revenue. As many as four order-in-original (ONOs) have been served on M/s Xing Enterprises and cumulative fine/penalty of Rs 5.04 million has been imposed on M/s Xing Enterprises. Similarly, three ONOs have been served on M/s One Ten World and a cumulative fine/penalty of Rs 3.79 million is imposed on M/s One Ten World.
The importers mis-declared the description to avoid higher value of Valuation Ruling and attracting regulatory duty. The importers, thus, tried to evade the legitimate customs duty and regulatory duty in addition to higher rate of Valuation Ruling by mis-declaring the description of incomplete toys as spares for plastic toys.
This black mailing group has now started creating undue pressure through yellow journalism so that Pakistan Customs succumb to their tactics and give them waiver but they forgot that Pakistan Customs is defender of Pakistani Exchequer and they cannot let go the situation like this. Furthermore, to create hue and cry these blackmailers have been writing threatening letters to shipping lines and container terminals for getting undue advantage.
Sources said that a blackmailing and defamation campaign was being run through the media and PICT would take legal action against the culprits in this regard.