Karachi: In a significant move to tighten regulatory oversight, Customs Intelligence has issued 24 alerts to all collectorates, highlighting discrepancies in import procedures and valuation rulings. The alerts—issued under the directives of Director Intelligence and Investigation (I&I) Mian Masood—were executed by Additional Director Imran Lillah, alongside Assistant Director Saud Hasan and Principal Appraiser Zakaullah. The officers, recognized for their expertise in appraisement within the department, flagged multiple violations ranging from the misuse of baggage facilities to forgery of invoices and misdeclaration.
Officials from Customs Appraisement East, Appraisement West, and Port Qasim have subsequently pursued several cases based on the alerts, uncovering a pattern of under-invoicing and inadmissible exemptions granted to blacklisted importers. This enforcement action underscores growing concerns over revenue losses due to improper import declarations.
The timing of these alerts coincides with an ongoing debate over the effectiveness of the recently introduced Faceless Customs Assessment (FCA) system. Prior to its implementation, Customs Intelligence and Investigation was unexpectedly deactivated, with its operational scope restricted to office-based functions. In contrast, a new Faceless Mechanism was introduced, headed by Yaqoob Mako (BS-21)—widely known as General Mako—who leads a team of a dozen officials.
Under the FCA framework, the proportion of green channel assessments has seen a dramatic increase, effectively streamlining customs clearance but also sparking concerns over revenue security. While the system was ostensibly designed to curb corruption among officials, critics argue that it fails to safeguard government revenue effectively.
A senior Customs official emphasized that implementing a proper reward system could deter corruption while strengthening revenue collection. Another official suggested that rather than dismantling the I&I division altogether, General Mako should have been appointed as Director General of Customs Intelligence and Investigation, ensuring continuity in enforcement while leveraging his leadership capabilities.
The transition from I&I to the new Faceless Mechanism has sparked concerns within the enforcement community, with insiders noting that the new framework lacks the robust investigative capabilities of its predecessor. While I&I was instrumental in detecting cases worth billions of rupees, the Faceless Mechanism operates with far more limited resources, raising questions about its ability to combat large-scale import fraud effectively.