The Balochistan Customs Collectorate, a division of Pakistan Customs, has announced its impressive performance for the first half of the fiscal year 2023-24. The Collectorate, which oversees five customs collectorates in the province, has collected 57 billion rupees in duty taxes and confiscated smuggled goods worth billions of rupees in the past six months.
The Collectorate of Customs Enforcement Quetta, which is responsible for preventing and detecting smuggling activities in the region, has seized foreign goods worth 17 billion rupees from July 2023 to December 2023. The seized items include non-custom paid vehicles, betel nuts, pan parag gutka, smuggled petroleum products, mobile phones, cigarettes, food items, tires, cloth, spare parts, auto parts, sugar, urea fertilizer, currency, gold, medicines and so on.
The Collectorate of Customs Appraisement Quetta, which is in charge of assessing and collecting customs duties and taxes on imported and exported goods, has collected 26 billion rupees in duty taxes in the same period. The customs staff deployed at the National Logistics Cell (NLC) played a vital role in achieving this target, despite the closure of the Chaman border crossing, which is one of the major sources of revenue collection.
The Collectorate of Customs Gwadar, which handles the customs operations at the Gwadar port and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects, has also contributed 21 billion rupees in duty taxes to the national exchequer. The Collectorate has facilitated the trade and transit of goods through the port and the corridor, while ensuring compliance with the customs laws and regulations.
The Collectorate of Customs Appraisement Taftan, which was established a few months ago to manage the customs affairs at the Taftan border crossing with Iran, has also performed remarkably well and collected 9 billion rupees in duty taxes. The Collectorate has streamlined the customs clearance process and enhanced the security and facilitation of cross-border trade.
The Collectorate of Customs Enforcement Khuzdar, which was recently added to the Balochistan Customs Collectorate, has also made significant progress in curbing smuggling in its jurisdiction. The Collectorate has seized goods worth crores of rupees in a short span of time, including narcotics, weapons, explosives, and contraband items.
The achievements of the Balochistan Customs Collectorate are a result of the collective efforts and dedication of the customs officials, who have worked tirelessly to increase revenue and curb smuggling in the province. The Chief Collector of Customs Balochistan, Abdul Qadir Memon, has appreciated the performance of the collectors and their teams, and has pledged to continue the momentum in the coming months.
The Chief Collector has also acknowledged the cooperation and support of other law enforcement agencies, such as the Frontier Corps, the Anti-Narcotics Force, the Coast Guards, the Levies, and the Police, in the anti-smuggling operations. He has expressed his gratitude to the Member Customs (Operations), Dr. Fareed Iqbal Qureshi, for his special instructions and guidance in this regard.
The Balochistan Customs Collectorate has also highlighted the need for reforms in the customs sector, especially in terms of the jurisdiction and staffing of the collectorates. The Collectorate has pointed out that the customs formations have been divided into smaller jurisdictions, which has created administrative and operational challenges. The Collectorate has suggested that the CSS officers should be appointed under a quota system.
To recall, PPP government appointed a lot of CTP 27, 28, 29 pass-outs, in Customs, IRS and Police, due to which the jurisdictions of officers shrank, which also resulted in operational inefficiencies.
The Balochistan Customs Collectorate has also emphasized the importance of the leadership and vision of the Chief Collector, Abdul Qadir Memon, who has led the collectorates with efficiency and professionalism. The collectors of the five collectorates, namely Muhammad Ismail, Rana Tasleem Akhtar, Riyaz Memon, Naveed Iqbal, and Saleem Memon, have also performed very well under his supervision and guidance.