Ceremony for 46th Special Training Programme graduates held at customs directorate

The final passing-out ceremony of assistant collectors of the Customs’ 46th Specialised Training Programme (STP) was held at the Directorate General of Training & Research (Customs), Karachi.

Qamar Thalho, spokesman for the customs said Nausheen Javaid Amjad, chairperson Federal Board of Revenue, was the chief guest of the event. Muhammad Javed Ghani, the member customs, Federal Board of Revenue, along with a large number of Pakistan Customs Service officers, representatives from law enforcement agencies and collaborative training partners, both local and international, attended the ceremony.

He added that Faiz Ahmad, the director general of customs training, during the welcome address, congratulated the young officers and their parents upon successful completion of the training. Highlighting the different aspects of training, he appraised audience about the modern challenges of the customs administration and the change in the role of the Pakistan Customs and requisite adjustments made in the concluding training.

A good portion of the specialised training programme was covered through interactive sessions conducted by partner organisations. The director general thus appreciated the cooperation and extended gratitude to the Secretariat Training Institute, World Wide Life Fund, Strategic Export Control Division (SECDIV), United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, US Bureau International Narcotics Law Enforcement (INL), US Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and US Customs Border Protection (CBP).

One of the passing-out officers shared her experiences of the STP and presented snap shots of the batch’s nine-month long stay at the Directorate General of Training and Research.

Ghani appreciated the director general and his team for covering a very important function of customs training modules and train the officers on modern lines. He added that the Directorate General of Training and Research was a dynamic institution and vigilant to growing and dynamic needs of trainings in overall capacity building of the department.

Ghani congratulated the officers on the completion of their training and welcomed them to the department. He also advised the young officers through a metaphor calling it balance of pyramids where on the one hand “FORCE pyramid represents facilitation, optimum revenue collection and enforcement”.

The other pyramid is manifestation of Authority, Responsibility and Accountability (AReA). As a professional tax collector, the customs officer has to maintain harmony and balance of the pyramids individually and collectively.

In her concluding remarks, Nausheen Javaid Amjad appreciated the DGTR for successfully conducting the STP. She also acknowledged customs training efforts in overall conduct of the specialized training programme on modern lines and incorporating in the modules the subjects of anti- money laundering, countering financing for terrorism, human health & security, cross border movement of strategic goods and illegal trade in endangered species.

The chairperson showed confidence that the officers being well-rounded through this training and rightly sensitised on the FBR’s core values would serve the department with utmost dedication and would contribute towards productivity as well as to the image building of the FBR. She wished success to the officers for their careers ahead.

The chairperson also administered performance pledge to the graduating officers. At the end of the ceremony, completion and performance certificates were distributed among the graduating officers, and to acknowledge various individuals from the department and outside for their contribution, shields of honour were also awarded.