KARACHI: The Prime Minister has established a high-level committee to probe the alleged misuse of WeBOC IDs of customs officers to facilitate illegal vehicle imports, escalating concerns over systemic vulnerabilities within Pakistan’s digital customs architecture.
The committee includes Chief Collector Enforcement Basit Maqbool Abbasi alongside officials from the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Military Intelligence (MI), and other agencies. It has been tasked with investigating whether login IDs assigned to two officers posted at the Input Output Coefficient Organization (IOCO) were exploited to bypass customs protocols and register smuggled vehicles. The probe will also review operations of Pakistan Revenue Automation Ltd. (PRAL), Pakistan Single Window (PSW), and the controversial Faceless Customs Assessment (FCA) system to assess the depth of system manipulation and its implications for revenue collection and national security.
Separately, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has launched a criminal inquiry into the digital registration of smuggled vehicles, following a formal reference submitted by the Federal Board of Revenue’s Enforcement Secretary on July 10. A Joint Inquiry Team led by FIA Additional Director General Muhammad Jaffer includes Basit Abbasi, Lt. Colonel Saad of ISI, and Siraj ud Din Amjad of the Intelligence Bureau. The team has been ordered to urgently report its findings to FIA Director General Rizwan Muktadar Raja.
The issue has gained traction in Parliament, where scrutiny over the FCA system intensified through National Assembly Starred Question No. 212, raised by MNA Ali Muhammad. The inquiry seeks clarity on whether the FCA was implemented without pilot testing, stakeholder engagement, or integration with core databases such as the Inland Revenue System (IRS). The Customs Wing has also directed its Appraisement-South office in Karachi to submit feedback by July 17, while the FBR has been told to respond to the Ministry of Finance by July 21 with a performance review endorsed by the FBR chairman and Finance Minister.
Concerns surrounding the FCA system include its failure to meet revenue, clearance, and trade facilitation goals, as well as reports labeling it a “complete failure” in internal assessments. Lawmakers have questioned whether any officials have been held accountable, and whether the government plans to suspend further rollout or commission an independent audit to determine the initiative’s viability.
Launched under the FBR’s digital transformation strategy, the FCA was designed to streamline assessments by reducing human discretion. However, the current investigations and parliamentary pressure have raised alarms over unchecked digital loopholes and the risk they pose to fiscal integrity.
This inquiry is part of a broader wave of parliamentary investigations directed at the Finance and Commerce ministries, which also cover cartel activity, cotton imports, and environmental risks linked to used clothing shipments. The Finance Ministry’s formal position on the FCA will likely determine whether Pakistan presses ahead with its customs automation agenda or pivots to a revised framework amid growing skepticism.