KARACHI: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has initiated a high-level inquiry against 23 officers of Pakistan Customs, a move that sources claim is part of a broader effort to replace government-appointed appraising officers with evaluators hired through private institutions.
According to an official order issued by the FBR’s Management/HR Wing on July 23, 2026, Mr. A.R. Hussain Mercallat, Director (PS/BS-20), has been appointed as Inquiry Officer to conduct proceedings against the officers under the Civil Servants (Efficiency and Discipline) Rules, 2020. The inquiry follows a previous investigation conducted in 2024 by BS-19 officer Imran Afzal Lillah, which reportedly found no evidence of wrongdoing against the officials.
The 23 officers facing inquiry include:
1. Safdar Zaman Mungan — Appraising Officer
2. Dawlat Khan — Appraising Officer
3. Farooq Ahmad — The then Appraising Officer (Now Principal Appraiser)
4. Zinatullah — Appraising Officer
5. Saif-ur-Din Sehar — The then Appraising Officer (Now Principal Appraiser)
6. Asmir Hussain — The then Appraising Officer (Now Principal Appraiser)
7. Muhammad Zafar Arshad — Appraising Officer
8. Sajad Ali — Appraising Officer
9. Ali Raza — Appraising Officer
10. Muhammad Naseem Khan — Appraising Officer
11. Wasif Waliullah — Appraising Officer
12. Muhammad Ahmed — Appraising Officer
13. Abdul Majid — Appraising Officer
14. Khurram Rafiq — The then Appraising Officer (Now Principal Appraiser)
15. Anika Malik — Appraising Officer
16. Tariq Usman — Appraising Officer
17. Junaid Ahmed Khan — Appraising Officer
18. Abdul Ghaffar — Appraising Officer
19. Saeed Ahmed (Sosmo) — Principal Appraiser
20. Zafar Ali Umar — Principal Appraiser
21. Noor Alam Durrani — Principal Appraiser
22. Javed Shah Khan — Intelligence Officer
23. Rehan Zaib — Intelligence Officer
Sources within the customs department have expressed serious concerns over what they describe as a deliberate attempt to undermine the FPSC-appointed officers. The inquiry, they claim, is allegedly aimed at replacing the current appraising officers and principal appraisers—who were appointed through the Federal Public Service Commission—with evaluators recruited through private institutions.
“All appraising officers and principal appraisers have no option or provision in the WeBOC system where they could reduce the declared value,” a customs official told this correspondent on condition of anonymity. “Back then, there was zero percent duty on solar panel imports. Abdul Rasheed Shaikh was Chief Collector Appraisement and he had standing instructions that no zero-percent Goods Declaration must be delayed or stopped.”
The case is reportedly related to solar panel imports and money laundering, with sources alleging that the inquiry is designed to remove officers who may pose a hurdle to certain vested interests.
It was previously mandatory that all appointments in Customs be made through FPSC. However, amendments have now been made to the Customs Act, allowing Customs to make appointments through any private institution.
“In the first phase, auditors have been appointed and their pay scale is Rs 200,000 per month,” an official said. “These auditors are working but they are not the signing authority, so no responsibility falls upon them, and their performance is poor. Similarly, evaluators are appointed through IBA with the same pay scale of Rs 200,000 per month.”
By contrast, appraising officers appointed through FPSC receive approximately Rs 65,000 per month. The re-inquiry, sources claim, is aimed at replacing the trained government officers with these private evaluators.
One official warned that the faceless customs assessment system could become “a bigger scandal than IPPs” if the government does not provide clear direction.
Sources also expressed concern about the diversion of smuggling activities. Under the vision of CDF Field Marshal Asim Munir, all road smuggling was reportedly stopped, but now smuggling is being diverted to appraisement.
“Replacement of TP consignment is no more required,” an official explained. “Now these consignments go to dry ports and the examination reports are made as per declaration, and assessment is done in Karachi—no one knows the content of such consignments.”
Sources have alleged that Chairman FBR Rashid Langrial has set rewards for his favored officers who are part of his system. They claim that favored junior officers are being posted to good positions under the OPS system, while Category-A officers—including some who were deferred for promotion—are also receiving good postings.
“Officers of Langrial’s lobby are running the Customs,” an official alleged.
The inquiry order also appoints the Deputy Collector (HQs), Collectorate of Customs Appraisement (West), Karachi, as Departmental Representative to perform functions under Rule 15 of the Civil Servants (Efficiency and Discipline) Rules, 2020.
Sheeraz Ahmed, who has reportedly been pointing out issues in the faceless customs assessment system, has allegedly become a target for speaking out, sources said.
The FBR has yet to issue an official statement on the matter, and attempts to reach Chairman FBR Rashid Langrial for comment were unsuccessful at the time of filing this report.