Customs seizes 21 luxury vehicles

ISLAMABAD: The Directorate General of Customs Intelligence conducted a raid in Rawalpindi and seized 21 luxury vehicles on suspicion of being non-duty paid (NDP).

The seized vehicles value more than Rs250 million.

The raid was conducted on Redco Textiles Limited, Rawat. The vehicles bear number plates of Qatar. Investigation is underway.

The seized vehicles include Toyota Land Cruisers, each having a license plate of Qatar Embassy.

The Customs Intelligence has yet to determine whether these are exempted and legally imported vehicles or non-duty paid smuggled vehicles.

According to a letter, the Embassy of the State of Qatar in Islamabad certified that the mentioned vehicles details on attached paper were imported legally for the hunting purpose in Pakistan by the Qatari dignitary HE Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Jabr Al-Thani, the former prime minister of the State of Qatar, Under Pakistan Customs Tariff Chapter-9905.

These vehicles are parked on ex-senator Saifur Rehman’s premises in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad.

This letter issued by the mission without any legal responsibility, it added.

Chapter 99 of the Pakistan Customs Tariff deals with the special classification provisions and exempted imports by privileged persons, organizations and other dignitaries including dignitaries of Qatar.

Under PCT Code 9905 of the Chapter 99 of the Pakistan Customs Tariff, exempted imports are allowed by dignitaries of the UAE, Qatar and Bahrain. Household articles and personal effects including vehicles and goods for donation to projects established in Pakistan, imported by the rulers and following dignitaries of UAE, Qatar and Bahrain subject to the conditions mentioned below and the conditions mentioned in sub-chapter notes:

As per PCT Code 9905 of the Chapter 99 of the Pakistan Customs Tariff, exempted imports are allowed to dignitaries of Qatar: H.E. Shaikh Faisal Bin Thani Bin Jassim Al-Thani; H.E. Shaikh Ali Bin Abdullah Bin Thani Al-Thani; H.E. Shaikh Abdullah Bin Jassim Bin Fahad Al-Thani; H.E. Shaikh Mubarak Bin Khalifa Bin Saud Al-Thani; H.E. Shaikh Abdullah Bin Ali Bin Abdullah Al-Thani; H.E. Shaikh Abdul Rahman Bin Nasser Bin Jassim Al-Thani; H.E. Shaikh Ali Bin Ahmed Al-Ahmed Al-Thani; H.E. Shaikh Faisal Bin Jassim Bin Faisal Al-Thani; H.E. Shaikh Falah Bin Jassim Bin Jabr Al-Thani; H.E. Sheikh Faisal Bin Nasser Bin Hamad Al-Thani; H.E. Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jabr Al-Thani and H.H. Shaikh Mohammad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani, Former Deputy Prime Minister of the State of Qatar.