KARACHI: ASO MCC Preventive Karachi has lodged an FIR against several accused for attempting to clear high value and high tariff goods in the garb of used clothing through yellow channel.
Information was passed through Deputy Collector Akbar Jan that high duty goods are being cleared by mis-declaring these as low duty goods.
It was known that huge quantity of foreign origin electronic/miscellaneous items being mis-declared shall be smuggled into the country in the garb of an import consignment declared as used clothing.
A team led by IPS Shamim Akhtar found the suspected container being offloaded at Sialkot Goods Railway Dryport in Karachi.
The examination of the container led to recovery of video conferencing systems, Panasonic PBX and calling systems, Nikon Cameras, Samsung UHDTVs, branded watches, etc., worth Rs40.98 million.
Shamim Akhtar is a well reputed officer, but was kept sidelined in previous government.
Green Channel facility is widely misused after used clothing and scrap were included in green channel. These are very low value goods and mis-declaration is very easy in the garb of these goods.
Due to low value, Customs is lenient in examination of these goods.
In 1992, Jonathan Ship was stopped by Customs during the tenure of PPP, but then PML-N after assuming power launched green channel facility. PML-N-led government removed Customs checks on arrival and departure and soon after several Pakistanis were beheaded abroad for narcotics smuggling.
After that Customs was deployed at departure but green channel was maintained on imports.
In its last government, PML-N promoted green channel to a great extent, which resulted in gross misuse of the facility causing huge revenue loss.
A senior FBR officer said that successive governments including the present one deliberately destroying the country’s economy.
Over 30 percent of foreign origin goods coming to country are smuggled through Customs through green channel, TP replacement and misuse of EPZ facility , while 20 percent of these are legally imported, which is also going to smuggling due to flawed policy of the present government while 50 percent is smuggled through border areas.
Crackdown is launched against smuggling through Customs, but it will be of no use as smugglers are patronized and supported by politicians and other powerful people.
Collector Nadeem Memon Appraisement East has formed a team headed by DC Rana Arsalan to scrutinise green channel imports pertaining to used clothes.
Similarly, Collector Appraisement West formed a team headed by DC Falik Sher and Collector Port Qasim Mumtaz Khoso formed a team headed by DC Amjad Aman Leghari to scrutinise scrap and used clothing import via green channel.