KARACHI: Directorate General of Transit Trade will now proceed with the process of granting fresh licenses for tracking and monitoring of transit trade, which were held due to stay granted by SHC for the last two years. The stay has been vacated with the efforts of Agha Saeed Ahmed, Director HQ Transit Trade Karachi under the guidance of DG Transit Mr. Wajid Ali.

Askari General Insurance had approached the high court against the Tracking and Monitoring of Cargo Rules, 2023. Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) also cancelled licenses of five companies including Askari General Insurance.

FBR informed the court that to cancel the licenses of Askari General and four others was bonafide as they claimed its experience in container tracking could not prove it through producing such documents in support of its claim.

FBR also referred to the judgment of the Supreme Court reported in 2022 SCMR 1021 (supra) wherein the apex Court opined : “the tracking and monitoring mechanism of Cargo through GPS, aş envisaged in the Rules, constituted application of modern techniques. If the FBR had followed the Rules and had awarded the contract to an independent party it would have prevented cargo being removed without the payment of the applicable duties and taxes”.

Supreme court concluded by calling upon the FBR to initiate a ‘de novo’ tenders process in accordance with the law for the award of the contract.

The high court finally dismissed the petition of Askari General Insurance.