ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Revenue Haroon Akhtar Khan, FBR Chairman Tariq Pasha and Member Customs Zahid Khokhar are determined to eradicate corruption from the FBR and Customs department.
On special directive of PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi; Haroon Akhtar Khan, Tariq Pasha and Zahid Khokhar directed the FBR and Customs high-ups to hold inquiries on complaints of corruption and misuse of powers against customs staff and officers, who are specially working in field offices, on priority and transparent basis.
Recently, importers of Karachi, Lahore, Multan, Faisalabad and Islamabad wrote a letter to FBR Chairman Tariq Pasha to take notice of gross misconduct and misuse of authority by some of the officers of Directorate General of intelligence, FBR across the country.
Sources reveal that DIT Sukkar’s one notorious Inspector of DIT Liaqat Ali is also misusing the authority and demanding bribe from genuine importers at the picket, if importers refuse to fulfil his illegal demands, he deliberately makes cases of mis-declaration and seize those goods which are already cleared by the Appraisement officers at Port Qasim. He is openly misusing his powers on a routine basis due to which importers are very disturbed as they cannot supply their goods on time. Sources further reveal that Inspector of DIT Liaqat Ali demands Rs20,000 from every importer to clear his goods and at least 1300 to 1400 trucks are cleared from Karachi ports and these trucks supply goods to Punjab on daily basis through Sukkur route. Sources claim that officials like Liaqat Ali inflict at least Rs 10 billion loss on the national exchequer every year.
Importers further said that the aforesaid malpractice has become the routine of such notorious officers resulting in high corruption in our society and importers, under their threat, prefer to give bribe rather than facing their wrath and one who refuses to fulfil their illegal demands, his goods are detained on the road under the pretext of re-examination, and valuation assessments are made, case of mis-declaration is lodged despite the fact that all these actions of such officers are entirely illegal as no powers u/s 25 and u/s 32 of Customs ACT, 1969 (Mis-declaration) has been conferred upon Customs Intelligence as is evident from their exercising SRO486(I)2007 dated:09.06.2017 (Annex-A) wherein exercising powers has been conferred to Directorate of Intelligence and bare perusal of which reveals that section 25 and section 32 have not been inserted in above referred SRO.
It is worthy to mention that even the Honorable Superior Courts have repeatedly held that Customs Directorate General of Intelligence does not have mandate to examine, assess or seize goods that are already cleared by the appropriate appraisement staff. They have emphatically held that the said Directorate does not have powers to exercise or invoke section 25 or section 32 (mis-declaration) of Customs Act, 1969. [Refer The Honorable High Court Judgments 2005 P T D 23 (Annex- B) and 2004 P T D 2994 (Annex – C)].
Sources added that the Honorable Superior Courts have repeatedly held that the domain of Customs Directorate of Intelligence is to stop smuggling. But when it’s certain staffers are busy in their illegal activities of examination and assessments of already cleared goods then they lose their focus on stopping smuggling rather even allow smuggled goods to transfer from place to place in lieu of bribes. Thus our country suffers trillions of rupees losses in smuggling and corruption at the hands of such few notorious staff of the Customs Directorate of Intelligence.
Importers hope that after PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi’s standing instruction to the FBR chairman to eradicate corruption from the department, the FBR Chairman Tariq Pasha, Member Customs Zahid Khokhar and DG Intelligence Shaukat Ali would further speed up action against a few black sheep in the department. There is no doubt FBR high-ups including DG Intelligence Shaukat Ali are fully committed to root out the menace of corruption and they have already taken action on a number of complaints of importers. Majority of the officials of DIT are honest and working for the betterment of the country but a few notorious officers have become a curse for the department.
Similarly, the NAB chairman has asked the FBR chairman to tighten the noose around ‘corrupt’ FBR and Customs officials. The NAB Lahore arrested nine customs officials, clearing agents and importers over allegations of embezzlement in import of betel leaf from India and Sri Lanka.
Importers hope that the FBR Chairman will accelerate the process of cleaning the Customs Department from ‘corrupt’ elements for the growth of import and export activities and ultimate survival of Pakistan.