KARACHI: A customs appellate bench of High Court of Sindh (SHC) comprising Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi and Justice Abdul Malik Gaddi on Wednesday ordered Qasim International Container Terminal (QICT) authorities to revisit the demurrage charges imposed on petitioner company Arsalan Impex.
The bench earlier hear a lawyer from Franklin Law Associates who submitted that the petitioner imported a consignment of Indian suiting material which is importable and do no fall in the list of banned items.
The authorities of Port Muhammad Bin Qasim Model Custom Collectorate detained the goods declaring the same to be Grey fabric of Indian origin. The examination report later testified that the imported material was polyester suiting. An Ono was also passed in the favour of the petitioner at which the custom authorities allowed release of the consignment but the entire exercise consumed a year resulting in demurrage to the tune of rupees 6 million while the total value of goods was 2.2 million.
The petitioner company then fled the instant petition seeking a delay detention certificate and waiver of demurrage charges as delay occurred due to department. The bench today after a detailed hearing ordered the QICT to consider the application by petitioner for reduction in charges and fixed March 19 as next date of hearing while seeking a compliance report.