KARACHI: Chief Collector Customs Appraisement Wajid Ali has assured the Karachi business community that newly installed scanning facilities will be used to reduce physical examination of cargo, speed up clearance and help prevent recurring backlogs at Karachi’s terminals.
Speaking at an interactive meeting at the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) on Wednesday, Wajid Ali said Customs was working with the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to minimise unnecessary physical examinations where scanning facilities were available.
He stressed that stronger coordination between Customs, terminal operators and the business community was essential to improve cargo movement and facilitate legitimate trade.
Customs plans to strengthen risk management
Wajid Ali said Customs would strengthen its risk-management mechanisms to prevent cargo backlogs, particularly at Karachi International Container Terminal (KICT).
He added that operational arrangements with terminal operators and representatives of the business community would also be reviewed to identify ways of improving cargo movement and clearance procedures.
The Customs chief said direct engagement with traders was important to understand the practical problems businesses face on a daily basis.
According to him, such issues could not always be identified through internal meetings or official directives.
He appreciated KCCI for presenting its concerns in a professional and precise manner, saying that timely resolution of genuine problems would benefit businesses as well as clearance times, revenue collection and overall trade facilitation.
KCCI seeks defined timelines for Customs procedures
Wajid Ali agreed that Customs procedures should have clearly defined timelines and measurable performance benchmarks in line with international best practices.
He acknowledged that statutory deadlines were often strictly enforced on businesses, while corresponding timelines were not always available for processes in which businesses were waiting for action from Customs.
He said the issue required consideration at the policy level.
The Customs chief also discussed the Alternative Dispute Resolution mechanism, saying the relevant law had been amended and a broader committee headed by a retired judge, with representatives from Customs and the business community, had been constituted.
He stressed the need to make the mechanism fully operational to reduce litigation and provide faster resolution of commercial disputes.
Business community calls for greater automation
Former KCCI President Zubair Motiwala, who participated in the meeting through Zoom, welcomed the responsiveness of the Customs leadership but stressed the need for defined timelines and greater automation.
Motiwala called for modernising the duty-calculation process, saying routine calculations should be handled through an automated system without repetitive approvals or unnecessary human intervention.
He said greater automation could reduce processing times, minimise human error and give businesses more predictability.
Motiwala also appreciated the Green Channel mechanism and called for further expansion of technology-based facilitation for compliant businesses.
KCCI seeks more Customs officers
Earlier, KCCI President Rehan Hanif welcomed the Chief Collector and appreciated his response to concerns raised by the business community.
Hanif said KCCI had no major complaints regarding Customs operations under Wajid Ali’s supervision, while several proposals were being presented to further improve the system.
Referring to a recent backlog at KICT, Hanif said Wajid Ali had convened a meeting with KICT officials and business representatives the following morning after being contacted about the issue.
He also appreciated the accessibility of senior Customs officials and their prompt response to business-related concerns.
Hanif urged Customs to increase the number of Additional Collectors of Customs (ADCs), saying the shortage was increasing the workload on existing officers and forcing businesses to approach senior officials for matters that could otherwise be resolved at the ADC level.
Traders call for faster examination and dispute resolution
The KCCI president also proposed a mechanism to ensure that cargo examination assignments were completed without unnecessary delays when Customs officers were rotated.
He suggested that once an examination had been assigned, it should preferably be completed by the same officer or properly handed over to another officer to maintain continuity.
Hanif also called for the Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee (ADRC) to become fully operational with appropriate representation from Customs and the business community.
He said disputes should, where possible, be resolved through consultation rather than prolonged litigation.
The KCCI president further urged Customs to upload Classification Committee decisions online promptly to provide businesses with greater transparency and certainty.
Hanif also requested reconsideration of the discontinuation of small-vessel and launch operations for exports, arguing that such vessels could provide an alternative option during any future regional disruption affecting conventional maritime operations.
The meeting was attended by KCCI Senior Vice President Muhammad Raza, Senior Vice President Arif Lakhani, Chairman Customs and Valuation Subcommittee Junaid Mehmood, former KCCI presidents Zubair Motiwala, Tariq Yousuf, Shamim Ahmed Firpo and Iftikhar Ahmed Sheikh, along with members of the KCCI Executive Committee.
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