ISLAMABAD: A high-powered joint inquiry has revealed a massive customs fraud involving the illegal clearance of a single shipping container that caused a staggering loss of Rs. 520 million to the national exchequer. The investigation has not only fixed responsibility on multiple customs officials but has also exposed a deeper, pre-planned conspiracy involving the clearance of thousands of suspicious containers, the sidelining of competent officers, and potential money laundering on a grand scale.
The scandal revolves around a transshipment (TP) consignment imported by M/S Rainbow Industry Convertor & Packaging, Sialkot, which arrived at Port Qasim, Karachi, in November 2024. What was declared as low-value “straw paper” and “polypropylene” was discovered upon examination to be high-value cigarette paper and acetate tow—materials strictly regulated and used for manufacturing cigarettes.
Despite this clear detection of fraud, the container was allowed to leave Karachi, travel to the Export Processing Zone (EPZ) in Sambrial, Sialkot, and get illegally cleared. By the time authorities realized the scale of the fraud, the goods had vanished, replaced with worthless waste paper.
The inquiry committee’s 43-page report meticulously details a shocking series of lapses, negligence, and potential collusion:
Examination Officer Mr. Zahid Hussain found the misdeclared goods (cigarette paper & acetate tow) and reported it in the WeBOC system, generating an “assessment alert.” He also calculated a revenue evasion of Rs. 520 million.
Despite the detection, no “hold” was placed on the container. No warranted action was initiated against the importer, as required under the law.
A simple one-page letter informing the destination collectorate in Sialkot about the fraud took a staggering seven days to be drafted and signed. By the time it reached Sialkot on November 18, 2024, the consignment had already been cleared on November 14.
At the EPZ in Sialkot, Inspector Muhammad Anique Jamil and Appraising Officer Adeel Qurban—who knew the unit was non-operational—conducted a superficial examination. They reported seeing completely different goods (kraft paper, off-white straw paper) and ignored the glaring fact that the sealed container had likely been tampered with en-route.
The log report shows the container was sealed and cleared from the EPZ gate after midnight, raising serious questions about who was pulling the strings.
One of the most damning details to emerge is the role of Deputy Collector Sambrial Dryport. According to the report and additional sources, Deputy Collector Sambrial Dryport was directly ordered to unblock and clear the consignments after midnight. This raises a critical question that the inquiry has so far failed to answer: Who gave Deputy Collector Sambrial the order to unblock these containers?
The report notes that she, along with Additional Collector Sambrial Dryport, verbally claimed they wanted to take stronger action but were overruled by their superior, Collector Saira Agha. However, they failed to provide any written proof of this. The midnight clearance order points to a powerful figure operating behind the scenes.
The report’s findings are just the tip of the iceberg. Additional revelations point to a massive, pre-planned conspiracy to compromise Pakistan’s customs system.
Thousands of Containers Cleared: From December 15, 2024, to April 2025, a period of just over three months, thousands of containers were suspiciously cleared, suggesting a well-orchestrated, pre-planned operation. Containers that had been lying idle for years were suddenly cleared in a matter of weeks.
The ‘Faceless Assessment’ Red Flag: The first four months of the newly launched “faceless assessment system” have come under intense scrutiny. Sources say the period is highly suspicious, with most consignments being cleared through the “green channel” without any physical examination or document checks. Assessment officers were reportedly forced to just clear consignments without applying their judgment.
Solar Panel Money Laundering: Over one thousand containers of solar panels were cleared during this period, which investigators now believe was a front for large-scale money laundering.
Intelligence Deactivated: The Directorate of Customs Intelligence was allegedly deactivated or its warnings ignored, creating a clear path for the fraudulent consignments.
In a striking pattern, a particular lobby is accused of systematically sidelining the country’s most competent and experienced customs officers just before the launch of the faceless assessment system.
The following officers were transferred and placed in the “Admin Pool” (a holding area with no assignment), effectively removing them from key decision-making roles including Tariq Huda, Dr. Fareed Qureshi, Zeba Hai, Mukkaram Jah, Mujtaba Memon, Muhammad Saleem, Mirza Mubashir Baig etc. These were experienced in sea port assessment while the officers posted had only experience of dry ports in Punjab.
To this day, Dr. Fareed Qureshi, Zeba Hai, Muhammad Saleem, Ahmed Rauf, and Sheeraz Ahmed remain in the Admin pool, while others have been forced into retirement. Their “crime” appears to be their integrity and competence, which posed a threat to those planning the fraud.
The report and sources suggest that a powerful circle is terrified of a full, independent audit of the faceless assessment system, particularly its first four months. It was Director PCA (Post Clearance Audit) Sheeraz Ahmed who first pointed out massive irregularities after auditing just 10% of the faceless assessments.
Ironically, the very officers who launched the flawed faceless assessment system have been rewarded with lucrative postings, while a BS-22 officer, Wajid Ali, has been appointed as Chief Collector South.
Given the scale of the deception, officials fear the worst. It is now considered highly likely that suspicious, dangerous, or even prohibited goods—not just evaded taxes—were cleared during the first four months of the faceless assessment system. This could have severe implications for national security.
As the report’s findings become public, several of the officers implicated have already approached the High Court and secured protective stays against any departmental or criminal action, potentially derailing any accountability.
The joint inquiry committee has made strong recommendations, including a forensic audit, adding the owners and agents to the Exit Control List (ECL), and referring the case for a money-laundering investigation. However, with powerful lobbies at work and legal hurdles in place, whether the masterminds behind this massive heist will ever be brought to justice remains a critical question for Pakistan’s customs and financial accountability systems.