Clearance assessment shifting to Karachi port opposed

PESHAWAR: Member Executive of Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) and Chairman of the Dry Port Standing Committee, Zia-ul-Haq Sarhadi has expressed concern over the new policy of shifting of all clearance assessment at dry ports of the country at Karachi port.

In a press statement issued here on Thursday, Zia Sarhadi said in a meeting of the Chairman Federal Board of Revenue and senior officials of Customs, it was decided that from July 1, this year, all the clearance assessment at dry ports of the entire country will be done in Karachi and instructions have been issued to all the relevant collectorates and departments of Customs in this regard.

Zia Sarhadi, who is also the Senior Vice President of the Pak-Afghan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry and President of the Frontier Customs Agents Association, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, said that our position is that the Customs assessment system must be implemented in the entire country, but if the clearance assessment at all the dry ports of the country is done only in Karachi, then other dry ports in rest of the country would be closed.

“The Central Assessment Units should be set up in every collectorate for Karachi-style assessment and Customs clearance of the entire country should be done under this system,” he stressed.

Zia Sarhadi said Customs agents and millions of people were associated with dry ports and if this system was introduced, dry ports would become deserted and closed and thousands of people, including Customs clearing agents, would become unemployed.