Pak-Afghan chamber concerned over show-cause notices to Customs agents Wednesday, July 10, 2013 KARACHI: The Pak-Afghan Chamber has expressed concern over issuance of show-cause notices to the customs agents in Nato / ISAF containers scam, a statement said on Tuesday. Zubair Motiwala, president of the Pak-Afghan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PAJCCI), said the issue is affecting hundreds of customs and border agents and their families, which were harassed continuously during the process. The issue was discussed by Saifullah Khan, president of the Karachi Customs Agents Association (KCAA) with Motiwala and Khan Jan Alkozai, co-president of the chamber, it said. Two days ago, the Islamabad High Court had rejected a plea filed by the customs agents, seeking relief in the show-cause notices issued by Pakistan Customs and the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). The court dismissed the plea on the grounds of jurisdiction issue and show-cause notices were asking for explanation from the customs agents. However, Khan said that the clearing agents are being harassed and are not being given an opportunity to defend their case appropriately, the statement said. The agents are willing to clarify their stance and possess all necessary evidence to defend their position but they are extremely disappointed with the process of inquiry, wherein their right to defence is affected, he added. Khan said that the role of Customs House Agents, especially who deals in Afghan Transit Trade in the light of notifications issued by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) was clearly defined. As per these Customs and public notices, their respective role ends right after customs allows loading and sealing of goods within the port / terminal premises and later the same is handed over to the national carrier and the customs authority. There are two types of transportation made for Afghan Transit Trade: the commercial (Karachi to Chaman / Amangarh) and non-commercial (Karachi to cross-border in Afghanistan). In the case of commercial cargo, it is possible to complete the journey within eight days or less time. Majority of the agents that are involved in the inquiry dealt with commercial consignments only, therefore, clearing agents who have no role in ISAF missing containers scam should not be made part of the case. It was also discussed that at the time of pilferage during 2007-10, the bonded carriers responsible for the transportation were Pakistan Railways and National Logistics Cell (NLC), therefore, the inquiry should specifically involve officials of the respective carriers. Motiwala said that in connection with the meeting held at the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) and keeping the concerns in view, Muhammad Haroon Agar, president of the KCCI, also issued letter to Wajid Ali Durrani, director general of NAB-Sindh, followed by a subsequent letter written by PAJCCI for immediate resolution of this issue. Motiwala showed concern over harassment of the Customs clearing, forwarding and border agents in case of Nato forces containers scandal and has urged the ministry of commerce, the Federal Board of Revenue, Federal Tax Ombudsman, NAB and other relevant officials and has sought the government of Pakistan to take immediate notice of the issue in hand and resolve it in an amicable manner. He also inquired that under which law or clause these show-cause notices are being issued, keeping the inquiries in view. He said that the business communities across the borders will be kept on board in this process of development and further facilitation will be extended from the platform of PAJCCI. He also assured to raise voice from this platform to help resolve the issues and grievances of the business community across the border. Motiwala reiterated that the agents may be given proper chance to present their case and related evidences and also convenience may be ensured to the clearing agents, especially from Chaman or Peshawar who were asked to present themselves for their case in Karachi. This is not only time consuming but also costly for them apart from the business loss, which they are already incurring.
Posted on: Wed, 10 Jul 2013 17:29:12 +0000
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