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ederal Board of Revenue (FBR) assigned revenue collection target of Rs5697 million for 2nd quarter of Fiscal Year 2018-19 under all heads of duty & taxes to Islamabad Collectorate of Customs.

Collector ZulPiqar Ali Chaudhry told Customs Today that the Collectorate will use all available resources to

achieve the assigned revenue target for 2nd quarter (October to December) FY18-19. He said that the Collectorate will adopt comprehensive strategy to meet the target.

Collector Zulfiqar said that the Collectorate was assigned Rs1952 million target under all heads for the month of October FY2018-19 which includes Rs699 million under head of customs duty (CD), Rs892 million under head of sales tax (ST), Rs6 million under head of fed-

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eral excise duty (FED) and Rs355 million under head of withholding tax (WHT).

For the month of November, the Collectorate assigned target of Rs1751 million under head of all taxes for month of November FY18-19 along with Rs633 million under head of customs duty (CD), Rs759 million under head of sales tax (ST), Rs12 million under head of federal excise duty (FED) and Rs347 million under head of withholding tax (WHT).

FBR chief says all kind of available data being utilised to ‘net’ non-filers

Customs values of EPE liner/PE foam sheet & seal wade revised

Customs Central Region revenue collection up 6 percent

SC dismisses Nandipur petition after NAB reference

Quetta Customs foils attempt to smuggle hashish & chemicals worth Rs5.58m

FBR Chairman has said that the Board has decided to utilise all kinds of available data | SEE pAgE 02 |

DGValuation has revised the customs value of EPE liner/PE foam sheet/ seal wads | SEE pAgE 03 |

Customs Central Region has collected Rs14787m on account of all duty and taxes | SEE pAgE 04 |

SC wrapped up a case pertaining to the delayintheconstructioninNandipurpower | SEE pAgE 14 |

CustomsI&Ifoiledabidtosmugglehashish andliquidchemicalmanufacturingindrugs | SEE pAgE 16 |

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Rs1.276 trillion stuck up in 31,098 tax cases Friday, October 12, 2018

Islamabad

ISLAMABAD: A huge amount of Rs1.276 trillion is stuck up in different stages of tax-related litigations in 31,098 cases, including cases before the superior judiciary of the country.

According to official documents, total stuck up amount of pending tax cases had gone up to Rs1,276.900 billion in all 31,098 cases all over the country up to August 31.

fBR chief says all kind of available data being utilised to ‘net’ non-filers

customs I&I seizes non-duty paid goods, vehicles worth Rs7741.6m ISLAMABAD

ISLAMABAD

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he Directorate General Customs Intelligence and Investigation (I&I) has shown tremendous performance under the supervision of Director General Customs I&I Shaukat Ali during the month of September, 2018. According to details, the Directorate General I&I seized goods including non-duty paid vehicles, electronics, blankets, cloth, arms and narcotics worth Rs7741.06 million and detected evasion of duty/taxes worth Rs172.16 million. The Directorate General I&I also recovered Rs123.21 million through auction of vehicles and miscellaneous items and collection of taxes and duties. During the last month, DG Shaukat Ali led the biggest operation of customs history and in the result of this operation, Customs I&I recovered and detained 23 non-duty paid expensive vehicles. DG I&I Shaukat Ali has lauded the performance of all officials and hoped that their performance will make Customs I&I exemplary organization. According to sources, DG has decided to give the rewards to those officials who have shown their best performance during the current financial year.

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ederal Board of Revenue (FBR) Chairman Mohammad Jehanzeb Khan has said that the Board has decided to utilise all kinds of available data for continuously cracking down on potential non-Pilers with the purpose to create deterrence and for achieving broadening of narrowed tax base.

The FBR chairman, talking to media, said that there was need to hire data evaluators who possessed expertise to Pind out required data that could be used for the purpose of broadening of tax base by bringing potential non-Pilers into tax net.

“There is need to use the data to broaden the narrowed tax base,” he added. It is relevant to mention here that the FBR had so far sent out notices to 185 individuals who made transactions of real estate up to Rs 1.54 billion and also purchased expansive vehicles in total 75 cases.

However, all efforts made in the past for broadening of tax base had failed to yield the desired results mainly because all such exercises were undertaken without doing proper homework. In the last IMF programme from 2013-14 to 2016, it was part of Fund condition to dispatch 300000 tax notices to high net worth individual for the purpose of broadening of tax base. The FBR was supposed for issuing 100000

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tax notices in each year so total sent notices would be standing at 300000 in three year period.

To be exact, the FBR issued 295,042 tax notices from 2013 to

2016 under the IMF programme out of which 143,495 notices were delivered on the addresses of them but 131164 notices remained un-delivered so half of the exercise proved futile mainly

because no proper homework was done to undertake this important task.

The results were quite obvious and were completely in accordance with known expectations.

fm accused of issuing exemption certificates for nDp vehicles

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ISLAMABAD

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he Customs Intelligence has accused Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) of issuing illegal exemption certiPicates to the dignitaries of the ruling family of Qatar for importing luxury vehicles.

The customs intelligence highups have written a letter to the chief collector (appraisement) South, Customs House, Karachi, stating that

since 2012, as many as 330 luxury vehicles imported for the Qatar embassy have been unlawfully cleared by various customs outPit falling under the chief collector’s administrative control. According to the letter, the initial investigation found out that illegal exemption certiPicates have been issued by the MoFA. Rawalpindi customs intelligence has also sought the complete import record of 280 used luxury vehicles unlawfully imported in the names of members of ruling family of Qatar

from the chief collector.

Earlier, the customs DG wrote a letter to the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) chairman alleging that the MoFA had issued unlawful exemption certiPicates to 330 vehicles.

However, it was actually the customs ofPicials in Karachi who allowed unlawful clearance of impugned luxury vehicles under PCT heading 9902. The ministry of foreign affairs issued an incomplete exemption certiPicate in all the cases and details of the diplomatic mis-

sion were intentionally left blank.

According to sources, 30 dignitaries of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar and Bahrain can import household articles and personal belongings including vehicles and goods for donation to projects established in Pakistan, subject to the conditions that a complete list of all vehicles showing name of the owner, details of imports and present custodian shall be provided by the concerned embassies’ ambassadors. Moreover, the rulers of UAE,

Qatar and Bahrain must make and disclose alternate arrangements for the maintenance of their Pleet by their employees and not by any Pakistani posing as their agents or authorised representatives. They should also undertake that no Pakistani will be allowed the use of their duty free vehicles and that they will abide by this concession available to them. Sources said that in order to avail the duty concession, an exemption certiPicate to this effect shall be issued by the MoFA.

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M/s Hassan Fabrics moves SHC against levy of anti-dumping duty KARACHI: The Sind High Court (SHC) restrained customs officials not to take any adverse action against the petitioner on a constitutional petition filed by M/s Hassan Fabrics against imposition of anti-dumping duty on consignments of polyester filament yarn. during the hearing, a two-member bench, headed by Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi, also issued notice to the customs officials and directed them to file comments on next date of hearing. Counsel for the petitioner argued that petitioner imported six shipments of polyester filament yarn from China and filed Goods Declaration according with law; however, officials of the customs department imposed anti-dumping duty illegally.

court grants bail to suspects booked in mobile phones smuggling

Friday October 12, 2018

Karachi

Dg Valuation revises customs values of sticker paper semi gloss in reels

KARACHI

m.B. RAnA

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he Customs Court granted bail to eight suspects against the surety of Rs200,000 each, who were booked in a case of attempting to smuggle 761 mobile phone sets of different brands worth Rs8,002,000.

Counsels for suspects namely Khan Muhammad, Altaf Ahmed, Asghar Khan, Ali Hassan, Amanullah, Saleh Muhammad, Allauddin and Amir Hamza filed bail applications and argued that prosecution mis-leaded the court and they have been falsely implicated in this case, who are ready to face trail. After the hearing, court granted their bail and directed them to appear before the court on next date of hearing.

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fmu sends list of 41 money launderers to fBR KARACHI

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he Financial Monitoring Unit (FMU) has sent a list of fortyone individuals allegedly involved in money laundering and tax evasion to the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR). In a letter the FMU directed the FBR’s Intelligence and Investigation unit to take action against these individuals who are non-filers and are not registered with the tax authorities. The regional unit of the FBR has also been tasked to provide complete details of the assets and properties of the individuals. The list includes one individual from Hyderabad and another from Quetta. Both are suspected of involvement in money laundering and have established business in Karachi. Another person from Quetta doesn’t even have a National Tax Number (NTN).

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he Directorate General of Customs Valuation revised the customs values of sticker paper (non-thermal) semi- gloss in reels through Valuation Ruling No: 1333/2018 under Section 25-A of the Customs Act-1969.

According to the details, it was brought to the notice of Directorate General, that sticker paper (nonthermal) semi gloss in reels is being assessed at lower values therefore an exercise was initiated to determine the customs values in the light of current international market price trend.

Meetings with stakeholders were held on 31-05-2018, 05-07-2018 and 05-09-2018. The stakeholders were requested to furnish invoices of imports during last three months showing factual value.

Websites, names and e-mail addresses of known foreign manufacturers of the item in question through which the actual current value can be ascertained.

Copies of contracts made / LCs opened during the last three months showing the value of item in question. Copies of sales tax invoices issued during last four months showing the values of supplies (excluding duty and taxes) to substantiate their contentions. During the course of meeting, the stakeholders admitted that certain importers are declaring

values of sticker paper (non-thermal) semi-gloss in reels much lower than actual transaction values. The participants were requested to submit all related evidences in support of their claims. Valuation methods given in Section 25 of the Customs Act, 1969 were followed to arrive at customs values of sticker paper (non-thermal) semi-gloss in reels.

Meanwhile, The Directorate General of Customs Valuation has revised the customs values of facial tissue pa-

Valuation methods given in Section 25 of the customs Act, 1969 were followed to arrive at customs values of sticker paper (non-thermal) semigloss in reels

fBR to impose 5% penalty on non-filers for

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KARACHI

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he Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has decided to impose Pive percent penalty on registration of motor vehicles on the name of non-Pilers.

A document showed that the FBR Pixed Pive percent penalty of the motor vehicle’s value if an auto maker accepts or processes an application of non-Piler for booking or purchasing of

locally-manufactured motor vehicle.

The penalty is three percent for a registration authority of an excise and taxation department. Tax ofPicials said the penalty was introduced to discourage ownership of locally-as-

sembled or imported vehicles by nonPilers. The present government, in the Finance (Supplementary) Bill 2018, proposed withdrawal of a condition imposed on non-Pilers on registering vehicles by the previous government. It, however, pulled back the proposal later as business community dismayed over the decision to relax restriction as it was feared to discourage documentation in the economy. Yet, buyers of 200cc cars or overseas Pakistanis are exempted from the restriction.

per (in boxes), toilet tissue /kitchen tissue/hand towel/napkin tissue (plastic packaging sheets/rolls), tissue paper jumbo roll (above 30 kg) through Valuation Ruling No: 1336/2018 under Section 25-A of the Customs Act-1969. The customs values of facial tissue paper and tissue paper jumbo roll were determined under Section 25-A of the Customs Act, 1969 vide Valuation Rulings No. 587/2013 dated 30-09-2013 and 850/2016 dated 09-05-2016.

pak rupee further lost value against dollar he Pakistani rupee further lost value against the US currency both in open market and interbank. As per the local money market, the dollar added Rs1 in open market for buying at Rs133.50 and Rs1.50 for selling at Rs135.50. The dollar also gained five paisas in interbank for buying at Rs 133.20 and 35 paisas for selling at Rs134.40.

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Customs foils bid to smuggle foreign currency from Lahore Airport Friday October 12, 2018

Lahore

LAHORE: Customs (Airport) Traffic foiled a bid to smuggle foreign currency and arrested a Thai national at Allama Iqbal International Airport on Wednesday. The passenger was ready to depart for Bangkok. Sources told Customs Today that during checking of passengers who were going to depart for Bangkok through Thai Airways, Customs Airport intercepted a passenger who was later identified as Sochi and recovered $75,000 from his possession.

The Thai national failed to provide any relevant documents. After his failure, customs team arrested the passenger and shifted him to undisclosed location for interrogation.

customs Appraisement customs central Region posts 39pc growth in revenue collection up 6 percent overall revenue collection LAHORE

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ollector Customs Collectorate of Appraisement Jamil Nasir Khan presided over special meeting at Moghalpura Dry Port to review revenue collection performance of the Pirst quarter of the Financial Year 2018-19.

Sources told Customs Today, that all additional collectors, deputy collectors and other senior ofPicers of the Collectorate attended the meeting. During the meeting Collector Jamil Nasir Khan congratulated his team members on exceeding quarterly and monthly revenue targets in the Pirst quarter of the Pinancial year.

While analyzing revenue collection of September, it was noted with a sense of satisfaction that the Col-

Lhc hears case challenging tax on hajj & umrah tickets ahore High Court (LHC) heard appeal challenging extra tax on Hajj and Umrah. The court adjourned the hearing for October 15.

During hearing of case on 10.10.2018, Justice Abid Eziz Shiekh heard the appeals filed by advocate Nabeel Kahloon in which the counsel for appellant argued before the court that the government has imposed illegal tax on Hajj and Umrah tickets.

He further argued total cost of Hajj and Umrah ticket is Rs27000 but government has imposed Rs14994 in tax illegally on tickets and after imposing extra tax, the ticket amount increased to Rs 41994.

Instead of giving relief to the public, the government is creating issues for the public for offering Hajj and Umrah so Lahore High Court should issue order to suspend tax on Hajj and Umrah ticket. –CB Report

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lectorate of Appraisement has showed record growth of 61 percent in customs duty (CD) and 39 percent growth in overall revenue collection. The Collectorate has collected Rs3268 million as customs duty against Rs2034 millions of last year in September.

Overall the Collectorate of Appraisement collected Rs7189 million in September while during last year revenue collection was Rs6001 million during corresponding month. While talking about strategy of revenue collection for second quarter, collector Jamil Nasir urged upon the ofPicers to accelerate drive for recovery of adjudged government dues. He expressed his satisfaction over detections and recoveries made

by Post Release VeriPication (PRV) Cell and emphasized that the ofPicers should maintain active liaison with the departmental legal counsels for effective defence and early disposal of cases sub-judice before various legal fora.

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ustoms Central Region has collected Rs14787 million on account of all duty and taxes from all the four collctoartes including Lahore Preventive, Lahore Appraisement, Multan and Faisalabad for the month of September 2018-19 registering an overall growth of 6 percent during the month under review, the ofPicial data disclosed.

The Collectorate of Customs Preventive Lahore collected Rs7189 million on account of withholding tax (WHT) which is 20 percent more than the same period of last Pinancial year. Similarly the Collectorate of Appraisement collected Rs4008 million on account of all duty and taxes which is 7 percent additional compared to the same period last

collector Jamil nasir transfers 22 customs officials

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eputy Collector Customs Headquarters Muhammad Moazzam Raza has issued a notiPication for transfer and posting of deputy superintendent, appraising ofPicers, preventive ofPicers and inspectors with immediate effect.

According to a notiPication Deputy Superintendent Mazhar Abbas Bhuttar is hereby transferred from AFU to ASO, Appraising OfPicer Saqib Nazir Khan is transferred from Railway Station T-10 to AFU, Appraising OfPicer Naveed Iqbal Cheema is transferred from AFU

to Railway Station T-10, Appraising OfPicer Mohammad Zaman Tarar who is currently posted at Air Freight Unit is transferred to LFU Wagha. Appraising OfPicer Junaid Mustafa is transferred from Railway Station T-10 to LFU Wagha, Appraising OfPicer Sidra Nayyer Zaidi is transferred from AFU to Railway Station T-10, Inspector Mohammad Maratib Mushtaq is transferred from ASO to AFU, Inspector Anjum Sheraz is transferred ASO to AFU, Inspector Tariq Baig is transferred from GPO to ASO. –CB Report

Pinancial year. The Collectorate of Multan however, failed to achieve the target and showed a decline in collection of 17 percent on account of all the duty and taxes.

Overall the Customs Central Region collected Rs14787 million which is showing a positive growth of 6 percent during the

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compared to same month last Fiscal Year 2017-18. Sources told Customs Today that Chief Collector Customs Zeba Hai Azhar has issued strict instruction to all the preventive establishments in Lahore to work hard to increase the revenue collection for the month of October 2018.

ST cut on poL: fBR to face Rs42b losses in h1 he Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) is likely to face Rs42 billion losses owing to cut in sales tax collection from petroleum products in the Pirst half of the current Piscal year, ofPicials said on Tuesday.

The FBR estimated the loss due to reduced rate of sales tax on petroleum products.

The government decided to keep the prices of petroleum products lower than the international prices in domestic market by cutting sales tax. “The government is continuously reducing rate of sales tax in order to absorb the impact of

higher prices of POL (petroleum, oil and lubricants) products,” an official at FBR said. The official said the FBR has already incurred Rs17 billion in revenue losses due to reduced sales tax rates on POL products during the first quarter (July – September) of 2018. The government recently further slashed the sales tax rates on POL products in order to maintain prices in October. “If this trend continues then the tax loss may reach to Rs25 billion during second quarter of the current fiscal year,” the official added. –CB Report

pRA to adapt to a full automation monitoring system

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LAHORE

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unjab Finance Minister Makhdoom Hashim Jawan Bukht, addressing a pre-budget seminar, said that the government wants to introduce a consensus-oriented budget to gain a greater confidence of taxpayers

by promoting transparency.

He expects to have such forums on a regular basis to help remove ambiguities between revenue mobilization and issues faced by various sectors and industries to bring significant value addition in helping the government in decision making.

“Our reliance on FBR needs reduction and greater resource gen-

eration by the province should be the number one priority”, he stated and said that he wants technology to be introduced in departments to help reduce expenditures and convert governmental assets into revenue. He further stated that he wants to introduce E-Procurement into departments so that there is less human intervention and expects the

same in the Punjab Revenue Authority (PRA). He also shed light on the austerity measures taken by the government and stressed the need for reduction in its expenditures in order to increase revenue. Dr Hafeez Pasha in his remarks said PRA is far ahead in its performance and has the capability to generate huge revenue compared to FBR.

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ollectorate of Customs Appraisement East collected Rs39986.5 million during the month of September 2018 under all heads of duty and taxes.

The collectorate collected Rs11372.11 million under the head of customs duty (CD), Rs13927.11 million as sales tax (ST), Rs14598.04 million as income tax (IT) and Rs89.24 as federal excise duty (FED). Earlier during the month of August, Collectorate of Customs Appraisement East collected Rs39358.6 million under all heads of duty and taxes.

Appraisement East collected Rs15028.03 million under the head of customs duty (CD), Rs17138.10 million as sales tax (ST), Rs7042.26 as income tax (IT) and Rs150.24 as federal excise duty (FED).

Collectorate of Customs Appraisement East generated Rs40010.9 million under all heads of duty and taxes in July.

The Collectorate collected Rs15436.16

million under the head of customs duty, Rs17646.31 million as sales tax (ST), Rs6808.39 million under the head of income tax (IT) and Rs120.04 as federal excise duty (FED).

Meanwhile, Collectorate of Appraisement West generated Rs23735.55 million during the month of September 2018 under all heads of duty and taxes.

According to details, Appraisement West collected Rs243336.28 million in September which includes Rs12602.13 million under the head of custom duty (CD), Rs7749.21 million as sales tax (ST), Rs 3384.31 million under the head of income tax (IT) and Rs 101.88 million as federal excise duty (FED). Earlier in August, Customs Collectorate of Appraisement West generated Rs21535.78 million under all heads of duty and taxes.

Appraisement West collected Rs21535.78 million in August which includes Rs9459.26 million under the head of custom duty (CD), Rs8695.38 million as

sales tax (ST), Rs3297.71 million under the head of income tax (IT) and Rs83.43 million as federal excise duty (FED).

Earlier Appraisement West collected Rs21,954 million in July which includes Rs8,617 million as customs duty, Rs9,339 million as sales tax, Rs3,876 million under the head of income tax and Rs122 million as federal excise duty (FED).

d llecte est co w t n mber iseme Septe n i n Appra o i n 8 mill millio 336.2 02.13 6 2 1 s Rs243 R cD), duty ( cludes n m i o h t c s i u wh x (ST ), ad of c the he ales ta s r s e a d n n d of u lio he hea t 21 mil . r 9 e 4 d 7 n n Rs7 llion u millio .31 mi 01.88 4 1 8 s 3 R 3 Rs ) and ED) tax (IT uty (f e d m e s o i c c in eral ex as fed

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Founder & Chairman Zulfiqar Ali Editor Rahil Yasin editor@customsbulletin.com.pk For advertising & subscription marketing@customsbulletin.com.pk www.customsbulletin.com Phones: 042-35781643-4, Fax: 042-35781645 Address: 627, Siddiq Trade Centre, Gulberg, Lahore

EDIToRIAL

can we bury the past?

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he question of decades long trust deficit between Pakistan and Afghanistan remained the dominant them of a national seminar on “Pak-Afghan Relations; Exploring the way forward” organised by an Islamabad based think Tank – Pakistan Institute of Peace Studies (PIPS). Can we put an end to the unending blame game? Can we burry the past? Can we bridge the trust deficit and look forward to a brighter future for the war-hit people of the region?

To seek answers to these questions, the seminar brought together a select group of prominent experts including foreign diplomats, security and political analysts, human rights activists and senior media leaders on the floor.

A mix blend of optimism and pessimism prevailed on the floor when the speakers started debating the causes, irritants and possible available options for mending the frosty relations between the two neighboring countries. In not too distant past, the then Prime Minister of Pakistan Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa, the then National Security Advisor Nasir Khan Janjua visited Afghanistan to connect the dots by offering its country’s help to resolving the decades long Afghan debacle. Pakistan’s initiative on Afghanistan Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity (APAPPAS) brought together the high level government officials from both the countries under one roof to discuss the possibilities of working together on political, economic, ideological and military fronts by constituting various working groups. But still we are stuck in the past. Afghanistan’s former President Mr. Hamid Karzai’s 16 visits followed by two consecutive visits to Pakistan by his successor Dr. Ashraf Ghani could hardly make any headway to mend the flimsy relations between the two neighboring countries. The positive remarks by Prime Minister Imran Khan in his inaugural speech on August 18 and the subsequent goodwill call by President Ghani to convey his best wishes for Mr Khan’s government followed by Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi’s visit to Afghanistan on September 6 produced some hopes for optimism but the recent spate of violent activities in North Waziristan allegedly planned on Afghan soil by the Pakistan Taliban dashed all the hopes to the ground once again.

Approaching the Imf P

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rime Minister Imran Khan in his press conference in Lahore during the weekend began by defending his selection of Chief Minister Punjab Usman Buzdar, unfortunately rePlecting a focus that is bafPling, and only later moving on to his administration’s options in dealing with the economic crisis prevailing in the country – a crisis indicated by historically high unsustainable budget and trade dePicits, ofPicial foreign exchange reserves as of end-September of 8 billion dollars, less than two months of imports (though the priority allocation of these reserves would be to

pay off the interest and/or principal as and when due on foreign loans procured by the PML-N administration) while growth is slowing down (large-scale manufacturing growth plummeted to 1 percent in July this year), with negative repercussions on employment opportunities.

Be that as it may, the Prime Minister was fully cognizant of the seriousness of the dwindling foreign exchange reserves on our economic viability and remarked that his administration had considered seeking support from friendly countries to shore up our reserves. And perhaps for the Pirst time since assuming power he strongly hinted at the possibility of the country seeking International Monetary Fund (IMF)

assistance to address our precarious foreign exchange reserve position. A day later, Pinance minister Asad Umar announced that the government has decided to approach the IMF to deal with a slew of economic challenges. The PTI government’s ‘Plan A’ has been to seek assistance from friendly countries that may include foreign direct investment, oil at deferred payment and to park billions of dollars with the SBP to tide the country over the existing foreign exchange crunch; however these options appear to have been sought and if not outrightly rejected by Saudi Arabia at least not fully endorsed. Additionally, given that the government has slowed down progress on China Pakistan Economic Corridor proj-

ects considerably and given the state of the country’s indebtedness, China may hesitate to provide the required 10 to 12 billion dollar injection in one go (the amount required as acknowledged by the Federal Finance Minister Asad Umar in the current Piscal year with only 9 months remaining) on easy terms and for a longer period. ‘Plan A’ also consists of the incumbent administration’s perception that it would not only be able to mobilize the Pakistani diaspora to remit more than at present, a perception based on Imran Khan’s success in generating massive donations from this source to fund the Shaukat Khanum hospital in three cities, but also to proactively engage with other countries.

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FBR uncovers another ‘fake’ account KARACHI: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has uncovered another case of fake bank account and found millions of rupees in a female government employee’s account.

As per media reports, the woman, Sarwat Zehra, a resident of Korangi in Karachi, was served a notice by the FBR for being a tax defaulter after billions of rupees were found in her account under her name and a company registered in her name.

The woman said that she was unaware of the existence of the account or the company and alleged that her CNIC and phone number were used for this purpose without her knowledge. The FBR has also frozen the salary account of the women, whereas the law enforcement agencies have summoned the women for investigation.

customs court grants bail to suspect booked in tax evasion case KARACHI

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he Customs Court granted interim pre-arrest bail to suspect namely Shaikh Adnan Ghani son of Shaikh Usman Ghani, was booked in a tax evasion case.

Counsel for the above-mentioned accused moved bail petition and argued that his client is innocent and falsely implicated in this case, who is ready to face trail; however, he has apprehension of arrest; therefore, court may grant him bail till final judgment of this case.

After hearing his arguments, court granted him bail against the surety of Rs300,000 and issued notices to customs prosecutor and department directing them to file their comments on next date of hearing. According to the first information report (FIR), suspects namely Afaq Ahmed, proprietor of M/s First Way Link Traders, M/s Kazi Corporation, M/s International Cargo Leaders Pvt Ltd, M/s

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Friday October 12, 2018

National

customs Intelligence recovers Rs300 million paper from 80 containers T

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he Customs Intelligence recovered 80 containers of different categories of highly valued paper worth over Rs300 million from a warehouse in Landhi.

The Customs Intelligence ofPicials raided on a tip-off on Friday that a consignment of papers was cleared from the Export Processing Zone in the garb of paper scrap.

A team of Customs Intelligence seized Pive containers from a Landhi warehouse and found different categories of highly valued paper including the BOP Pilm, offset paper, carbonless paper besides other high quality papers. The Customs investigators found that a reputed company imported the high quality paper in garb of paper scrap on September 13, 2018 for supplying to another company.

The customs team found as many as 80 containers of BOP Pilm, offset, paper, carbonless paper in addition to high quality papers kept stored in a warehouse in Landhi. During investigations, the Customs found that the organised group was involved since long in ille-

gally getting paper cleared in thousands of consignments, from the Export Processing Zone in garb of paper

scarp. The group by its illegal activity had caused losses to the national exchequer to the tune of hundreds of mil-

lions of rupees. The Customs authorities have registered an FIR and further investigations are underway.

Sc forming special bench to hear top fBR cases on priority ISLAMABAD

Faster Business, Shaikh Adnan Ghani, Nadeem Salmani, Asmatullah, Haji Juma Gul, Shah Wali and others are involved in submitting fake and fabricated Form-Es, meaning thereby that the foreign exchange amounting to US$ 3,345,380 (Rs376,775,114) was not remitted in the country, despite that goods have been exported, hence the exporter with the help of clearing agent have hoodwinked customs by submitting fake documents. Investigation officer further informed the court that above mentioned suspects have violated the provisions of section 16, 32 (1), 32 (1), 32 (2), 32A, 131, 192 & 209 of Customs Act, 1969 pragraph-3, 16 & 17 of Export Policy Order 2016 read with Section 3 of the Imports & Exports.

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he Supreme Court on has decided to form a special bench for next week, which would decide the top five cases of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) on priority basis. Hearing a case concerning the FBR, the court also directed the Member (Legal) that their lawyers should be fully prepared and he too should remain in the courtroom.

Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Saqib Nisar, who headed a three-member bench, remarked that corruption had crossed limits and the FBR ofPicials were working in connivance with thieves. They pocket half of the lawyers’ fee. Billions of rupees were stuck due to litigation and they sent non-serious

cases to courts to shift the dirt to the judiciary, he added. Justice Ijazul-Ahsan observed that the status of FBR cases was the worst among those being heard by the courts. Its lawyers appearing before the courts

did not know anything about the cases, but the judiciary was blamed for pendency, he said. When the chief justice asked an FBR ofPicial to assist the court and how much knowledge he had about income tax

laws, he replied he was Member(Operation) and the Member (Legal) was responsible for that job.

At this, the chief justice said what he would say about performance if the court decided that their tax claim was wrong. Why they didn’t challenge the tribunal’s verdict, the chief justice questioned and added that billions were disputed, but the FBR ofPicials used to go on retirement after creating the mess. To this, Justice Ijaz added that the FBR lawyers were interested in adjournments only and multiple lawyers were appearing in a case, but the responsibility was shifted when arguments were sought. On court’s order, the Member (Legal) appeared before the bench and said a total of 1,854 cases involving Rs38 billion were pending with the apex court, after the orders to form a special bench was passed.

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FBR receives over 1.6 million tax returns Friday October 12, 2018

National Ex-fBR officials still using official vehicles after retirement

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has received over 1.61 million tax returns till October.

According to latest weekly Active Taxpayers List (ATL), the total number of return filers had increased to 1.61 million, which was the highest since the change had been announced for salaried person to file return their own instead submitting statement by employers.

customs values of toilet, kitchen, hand towel, napkin tissue paper revised

ISLAMABAD

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KARACHI

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wAQAR AhmED AnSARI www.customsbulletin.com

he federal government has failed to bar bureaucracy from misuse of official vehicles and drivers, it is learnt here. According to official sources, it has been revealed that some Federal Board of Revenue’s (FBR) retired and on-service officials are illegally using vehicles, drivers and other staff assigned to field offices. Sources told Customs Today that these vehicles which are being used by the FBR official are solely assigned to field officers and inspectors for tax recovery and to curb tax evasion; however, FBR officials who are deputed in different offices including Prime Minister Office are using these vehicles illegally. Meanwhile ex-Additional Commissioner, (Inland Revenue) Regional Tax Office, Rawalpindi Farooq Ahmad Nisar is also using department vehicle and also enjoying services of official driver, sources added.

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Ayyan Ali challenges court sentences odel Ayyan Ali has challenged sentences announced by a customs court and a customs tribunal, claiming that the law does not permit announcing two, separate punishments for a single offence. Ayyan had been arrested from the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto International Airport in 2015 while attempting to board a United Arab Emirates (UAE) bound flight while carrying $506,800 in cash without having the requisite permission from the State Bank of Pakistan. She was subsequently jailed and the government put her name on the Exit Control List (ECL).

The supermodel did manage to travel to Dubai, but not before the court released her on bail and directed to remove her name from the ECL. –CB Report

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he Directorate General of Customs Valuation has revised the customs values of facial tissue paper (in boxes), toilet tissue /kitchen tissue/hand towel/napkin tissue (plastic packaging sheets/rolls), tissue paper jumbo roll (above 30 kg) through Valuation Ruling No: 1336/2018 under Section 25-A of the Customs Act1969. The customs values of facial tissue paper and tissue paper jumbo roll were determined under Section 25-A of the Customs Act, 1969 vide Valuation Rulings No. 587/2013 dated 30-09-2013 and 850/2016 dated 09-05-2016.

Different stakeholders have requested to determine customs val-

ues afresh in line with values prevalent in the international market. Therefore, an exercise was initiated in terms of Section 25-A of the Customs Act, 1969 to determine customs values of subject goods afresh in the light of existing international market prices.

Meetings were held 15-05-2018, 05-07-2018 and 05-09-2018 with stakeholders including All Pakistan Paper Merchants Association and the officers from field formations.

The importers had been requested to furnish invoices of imports during last three months showing ac-

tual value of goods. Websites, names and e-mail addresses of known foreign manufacturers of the item in question through which the actual current value can be ascertained. Copies of contracts made/LCs opened during the last three months showing the value of item in question. Copies of sales tax invoices issued during last four months showing the values of supplies (excluding duty and taxes) to substantiate their contentions. During the course of meetings, certain importers submitted that custom values of various facial tissue paper (in boxes), toilet tissue/kitchen tissue/hand towel/napkin tissue (plastic packaging sheets/rolls), tissue paper jumbo roll determined in the existing valuation ruling are on lower side; therefore, the same may be rationalized upward.

gwadar customs seizes Iranian juices, brake oil worth Rs7.88 million C

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ustoms Collectorate team seized boxes of Iranian juices, brake oil, different kinds of jam and vehicle being used for smuggling worth Rs 7.88 million.

Sources told Customs Today that on 24-9.2018, Deputy Collector Junaid Mehmood received secret information that some smugglers were trying to smuggle non-duty paid boxes of Iranian juices, different kinds of jam and Iranian brake oil from Gwadar to Karachi. After receiving this information, he constituted a raiding team under the supervision of Customs Preventive Inspector Ghulam Mehmood and others. The team, during a search operation on Main Highway, intercepted a truck bearing registration no QN826. During search, the team re-

covered more than 200 cartons of Iranian juices, 150 cartons of jam and 200 boxes of Iranian brake oil canes worth Rs 7.88 million in-

cluding truck being used for smuggling. The team seized all smuggled items and arrested truck driver, who were later identiPied

as Aslam Khan. Sources said that customs ofPicial started investigations from accused person after registering a case against him.

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10 Inland Revenue officers of BS-20 transferred ISLAMABAD: The government has withdrawn regulatory duty at Rs4,669 per metric ton on import of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG). The duty has been withdrawn in order to ease prices in domestic market.

The FBR issued SRO 1200(I)/2018 on Thursday to announce the withdrawal of regulatory duty on import of LPG. Through the instant notification the FBR amended SRO 640(I)/2018 dated May 24, 2018 by deleting serial number 72 and the relevant entries in the table.

customs I&I submits fIR against m/s Jahan khan, Al-Rahman Enterprises KARACHI

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he Customs Court directed investigation officer to complete investigations and submit challan against owners/proprietor/partners of M/s Jahan Khan & Sons, owners/partner of M/s Al-Rahman Enterprises and others, who were booked in a case of attempting to smuggle kerosene oil in garb of white spirit.

Investigation officer appeared before the court and submitted that prosecution needs further time to investigate this case; therefore, the court may grant further time to submit challan.

Earlier, investigation officer of Directorate General of Customs Intelligence & Investigation-FBR Hyderabad submitted first information report (FIR) against the above-mentioned accused and others and informed that on ac-

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tionable information, a team of customs officials intercepted a Hino truck bearing registration number TUA-596 and recovered kerosene oil. He further submitted that during the investigation, it was revealed that the abovementioned suspects imported kerosene oil in the garb of 28,950 kilogram while spirit and evaded the duty and taxes to the national exchequer. The case was registered against them on complaint

by Intelligence Officer Syed Shafiq Ali for violation for mis-declaration of description and HS code of kerosene oil smuggled in the garb of while spirit in violation of Import Restriction vide S# 2 of Appendix-B (Part-II) to IPO, 2016 as the importer is not an approved oil marketing company (OMC) under Section 2 (s) 16, 32 (1)(2) 169 of the Customs Act, 1969 and other customs related laws.

National

‘no change in duty structure after implementation of national Tariff plan’

fBR restores tax exemptions to fata, pata ISLAMABAD

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he Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) restored all tax exemptions available to the people of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) and Provincially Administered Tribal Areas (Pata) with retrospective effect from June 1, 2018. Two notifications were issued rescinding earlier notifications to implement the decision of the federal cabinet. Through the 25th Constitutional Amendment, the government has merged Fata and Pata in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. In order to restore the exemption level to tribal areas, the government has further amended the Second Schedule of the Income Tax Ordinance 2001. As per amendments, any income which is not chargeable to tax prior to merger of any individual domiciled or company or association of persons resident in the tribal areas forming part of the provinces of KP and Balochistan from June 1, 2018 till June 30, 2023. Similarly, no withholding taxes will be charged from the residents of tribal areas which were not applicable prior to commencement of the merger.

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he Advisor to Prime Minister for Industries and Production, Commerce, Textile Industry and BOI, Abdul Razzak Dawood termed rapid changes in duty tariffs a major impediment for industries in Pakistan.

While discussing increased duty tariffs on import of raw material, Abdul Razzak Dawood assured the Senate Committee on Industries and Production that once the National Tariff Plan is formulated there will be no change in duty structure for at least 3 years.

The meeting of Senate Standing Committee on Industries and Production was presided over by Senator Ahmed Khan, and was also attended by Senator Naseebullah Bazai, Senator Sitara Ayaz, Senator Kulsoom Perveen, Senator Anwar Lal Dean, Senator Keshoo Bai and other senior ofPicers from the Ministry of Industries and Production along with all concerned.

Describing the role of the Ministry in CPEC, it was revealed that the Joint Worker Group (JWC) on Industrial Cooperation has been for-

Friday October 12, 2018

mulated and Chairman Board of Investment (BOI) has appointed the convener of this working group.

The Committee was informed that the Ministry is an important member of this working group and the JWG shall play a key role in implementing the decisions made at the leadership level of the two countries in expanding mutual industrial investment, coordination and cooperation. Chairman Committee was of the opinion that instead of importing steel and other material used in the CPEC project, it would be

extremely helpful to Pakistan’s economy if products and material manufactured locally are used.

Senator Kulsoom Parveen while lamenting the deplorable state of Steel Mills said that the government must do all in its power to revive this enterprise. Committee Chairman Senator Ahmed Khan directed that a detailed meeting must be held on Steel Mills and that likewise many other industrial sectors according to cities must be discussed in-depth. Senator Sitara Ayaz asserted the need for training.

ARu probing 10,000 foreign properties owned by pakistanis

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rime Minister Imran Khan’s Special Assistant on Accountability Shahzad Akbar said that the newly constituted Asset Recovery Unit (ARU) comprising National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) officials will investigate over 10,000 foreign properties owned by Pakistanis.

He said this while addressing a press conference along with Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry, “ARU members have been selected and we have received details of

those holding foreign assets and 10,000 properties owned by Pakistanis in the United Kingdom (UK) and United Arab Emirates (UAE) have been traced.”He added that details of “at least half of the 10,000 properties were previously available but no action was taken”.

Moreover, it was said that notices have been issued for 300 properties from the list which had been divided into two parts, one for politically exposed people, and one for other citizens. “The ARU will submit a fortnightly progress report to the Supreme Court,” he said. Akbar further said that this is a huge success that a task force has been formed “which will ensure

the money sent abroad is brought back”. “In the Pirst stage, we have initiated an inquiry against 895 foreign properties and ofPicers of the FIA and NAB are part of the investigation,” he added. Furthermore, Akbar said that former Pinance minister Ishaq Dar “deliberately stopped an agreement” regarding data-sharing with Switzerland, which was supposed to be completed by 2013-14 “After 2013, no information was sought on bank accounts in Switzerland,” he said, adding that “we have spoken to the Swiss government and will speak to other countries as well regarding hundi hawala”. Akbar said that the treaty would be ratiPied and acted upon soon. Following this,

the special assistant said that their department found a solution for this, which was to approach the German government, which in 2013 announced that “it had acquired information on Swiss accounts until then, and would make it publicly available to all governments, particularly those of developing countries”. Despite this, Akbar said, the government of Pakistan had not asked the German government for this information. He further said that once the German government was asked to provide information and when it was received, they would be able to “access information for accounts created, both in the past and in the future”.

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World Customs

China RQFII quota at 640 bln yuan

Shanghai:The quota in the RMB Qualified Foreign Institutional Investors (RQFII) program came in at 640.2 billion yuan (about 93.2 billion US dollars) as of according to the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE).

The amount was up 12.7 billion yuan from the previous month, said SAFE. China’s currency, the yuan, is convertible for trade purposes under the current account, while the capital account, which covers portfolio investment and borrowing, is largely run by the state in an effort to control capital flows in and out of the country.

Friday October 12, 2018

china to cut customs clearance time by over 33%

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Iran Reports 46% Drop In condensate Exports ran’s condensate exports fell by 46 percent over the first six months of the Iranian year, from March to September, local news agency Isna reported, citing customs data. Quoting the Iranian-language source, Reuters reported condensate exports over the period totaled 4.644 million tons, compared with 8.629 million tons a year earlier.

Condensate is a major export product for Iran, making up a large portion of its total oil and gas exports.

Buyers of the superlight crude are under more pressure than importers of “regular” crude since there are few alternate suppliers. S&P Global Platts reported in August that South Korea was particularly concerned and eager to win a sanction waiver to be able to continue buying Iranian condensate. –CB Report

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hina aims to cut the overall customs clearance time for cargo from 97.39 hours in 2017 to 65 hours before the end of this year, said an ofPicial with the General Administration of Customs.

Zhang Guangzhi, head of the National OfPice of Port Administration under the General Administration of Customs, said robust measures such as expanded pre-arrival declaration for imported cargo and fasttrack services for agricultural or aquatic products will be implemented to shorten the overall customs clearance time by one-third.

Customs clearance time for exports will be controlled to take an average of less than 8.2 hours compared to 12.29 hours last year.

Zhang also said that overall clearance time differs from customs

kSA is investing another $45b with SoftBank

clearance due to the time needed to Pinish processing goods on arrival after completing many procedures.

Current efforts are focusing on customs clearance time from declaration to clearance.

‘china wants to end trade war but uS keeps changing position ‘

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hina wants to end the trade war with the US, but the US’s position keeps changing, said Cui Tiankai, China’s ambassador to the US on Wednesday.

Cui made this remark during an interview at National Public Radio (NPR) headquarters. “The US’s position keeps changing all the time, so we don’t know exactly what the US would want as priorities,” said Cui in the interview. Cui reiterated that China does not want a

trade war with the US, and hopes the two sides can resolve the disputes through negotiations. He stressed the importance of “good faith” for successful negotiations, of which the US has not shown enough. According to Cui, the two sides have kept in contact during the past months, and had extensive discussions in various areas. He said China is willing to make some concessions to reach an agreement, but it needs goodwill from both sides. –CB Report

audi Arabia is investing another $45 billion in SoftBank’s second Vision Fund. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, the chairman of the country’s Public Investment Fund, told Bloomberg that the fund wanted to be a key investor in the next $100 billion fund that Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son plans to raise. The $45 billion brings the PIF’s total investment in the two funds to $90 billion.

Prince Mohammed told Bloomberg that the PIF’s Pirst investment had paid off. “We have a huge benePit from the Pirst one,” he said. “We would not put, as PIF, another $45 billion if we didn’t see huge income in the Pirst year with the Pirst $45 billion.”

He added that the PIF’s assets were just under $400 billion.”Our target in 2020 is around $600 billion,” he said. “I believe we will surpass that target in 2020.”

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Meanwhile, As Saudi Arabia seeks to expand its economic horizons and diversify from a largely oilbased model through collaboration and foreign investments, China is increasingly emerging as a natural partner of the Gulf kingdom.

China’s State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, while hosting his Saudi counterpart Adel bin Ahmed al Jubeir in Beijing this July, called for “deeper alignment” between Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and Riyadh’s “Vision 2030” development strategies. In a sign of its increasing commitment to BRI, Saudi Arabia will build a mega oil city in Pakistan and take part in business and investment ventures complementing BRI’s flagship China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), according to a senior Pakistani minister who clarified though that Riyadh will not join as CPEC’s “third strategic partner” as wrongly claimed by his colleague last month.

Turkey’s new Radisson Blu a first in Trabzon new Radisson Blu has opened on the Black Sea in Trabzon, Turkey. The 162-room Radisson Blu Hotel, Trabzon is located in Boztepe, bringing Radisson Hotel Group’s portfolio to 21 hotels in the country. “We’re excited to open our Pirst Radisson Blu in Trabzon and grow the presence of Europe’s largest upper-upscale hotel brand on the northeast coastline of Turkey,” said Tim Cordon, area SVP, Middle East, Turkey and Africa for Radisson Hotel Group, in a statement. “Trabzon has traditionally held a strategic position on the coast of the Black Sea—a location that made it a fa-

mous trading port, especially on the old Silk Road. We hope to contribute to this rich heritage.” Situated in Boztepe, the Radisson Blu Hotel, Trabzon is at the heart of an area of ancient religious signiPicance and the site of four major sacred fountains.

The hotel is 2 kilometers from the city center and 7 kilometers from Trabzon Airport. The hotel’s signature dining experience includes two restaurants: Kolcuoglu and Queen.

Kolcuoglu serves Turkish kebab specialties, like the Adana kebab, while Queen is an international à la carte restaurant that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. –CB Report

Russian wheat Exports Almost Double In 2018 : customs

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Russia exported nearly twice as much wheat in the Pirst eight months of this year as in the same period last year, fresh data released Thursday by Russia’s customs agency showed.

Wheat exports in January

through August rose 170 percent, yielding $5.13 billion in total proceeds. In August alone, Russia sold almost 22 percent more wheat than in the same month in 2017.

Exports of vegetable oils dropped over the same period by 1.4 percent, totaling 1.4 million tonnes, while revenue slid by 0.7 percent to $1.11 billion. In August, exports were down by 21.5 percent compared to the previ-

ous month. Wheat imports to Russia rose by roughly 24 percent over the Pirst eight months to 217,900 tonnes, estimated at $34.5 million. Barley imports slumped almost 12 times to 12.4 tonnes, while corn imports were down by 13.8 percent to 13,700 tonnes. Russia exported a total of 44.07 million tonnes of grain last year, while imports from July 2017 to July 2018 stood at 52.42 million tonnes.

The Agriculture Ministry expects this season’s grain exports to reach up to 37 million tonnes. Meanwhile, The business councils of Azerbaijan and Russia aim to prevent delays both on the part of Russia and Azerbaijan in implementation of bilateral projects, Chairman of the Russia-Azerbaijan Business Council Alexey Repik said on the sidelines of the 9th AzerbaijanRussia interregional forum.

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Port Kembla LNG Import Terminal, New South Wales Sydney :Australian Industrial Energy (AIE) plans to develop a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal at Port Kembla in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. AIE is a consortium of Squadron Energy, Marubeni Corporation, and JERA. The LNG import terminal will the first in New South Wales and will be named Port Kembla Gas Terminal. It will be capable of supplying up to 100 petajoules (PJs) of natural gas a year. The imported quantity will meet more than 70% of NSW’s current annual gas demand. AIE is making an estimated investment of A$200m ($143m)-A$300m ($215m) in the project. An initial concept feasibility study of the project was completed in May 2018, while a front-end engineering design (FEED) study is underway.

Iran customs officials Expediting Import clearance procedures he Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration now allows local producers to clear up to 70% of their imports of raw materials and industrial machinery before going through customs procedures.

However, in the past four months, one of the sharp criticisms leveled at the government was about the large volume of unclaimed, imported goods left at customs terminals mostly due to the multitude of new regulations and directives. President of Tehran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture Masoud Khansari recently announced that as much as 7 million tons of goods have piled up at the country’s ports of entry, which is harmful to the economy since these goods could not be supplied within a reasonable time. Meanwhile, Iran traded 343,170 tons of non-oil commodities

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worth $408.18 million with Japan during the first five months of the current fiscal year. This registers a 42.34% and 12.73% decline in tonnage and value respectively compared with last year’s corresponding period, latest data released by the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration show. Iran’s exports to Japan stood at 290,056 tons worth $155.19 million, down 46.08% and 30.25% in tonnage and value respectively year-on-year. Japan was Iran’s 14th major export destination during the period. Iran mainly exported gas condensates, methanol and floorings to Japan during the five-month period. Japan exported 53,113 tons of goods worth $252.98 million to Iran, down 7.19% in tonnage and up 3.16% in value YOY. –CB Report

Ports & Shipping

uS, china hike tariffs as trade row intensifies C

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hina and the United States imposed new tariff hikes on each other’s goods and Beijing accused Washington of bullying, giving no sign of compromise in an intensifying battle over technology that is weighing on global economic growth. US regulators went ahead with a planned 10 percent tax on a $200 billion list of 5,745 Chinese imports including bicycles and furniture. China’s customs agency said it responded at noon by beginning to collect taxes of 5 or 10 percent on a $60 billion list of 5,207 American goods, from honey to industrial chemicals.

The conPlict stems from U.S. President Donald Trump’s complaints Beijing steals or pressures foreign companies to hand over technology.

American ofPicials say Chinese plans for state-led development of global competitors in robotics and other technologies violate its marketopening obligations and might erode US industrial leadership.

China’s leaders offered to nar-

row their politically sensitive, multibillion-dollar trade surplus with the United States by purchasing more natural gas and other American exports. But they have rejected pressure to change industry plans the communist leadership sees as a path to prosperity and global influence. Monday’s tariff hike follows a report by The Wall Street Journal that Chinese officials pulled out of a meeting to discuss possible talks proposed by Washington. The Chinese government had given no public indication whether it would accept the invita-

tion. Envoys last met Aug. 22 in Washington but reported no progress. With no settlement in sight, forecasters say the conPlict between the two biggest economies could trim global growth through 2020. The ratings agency Fitch cut its forecasts for next year’s Chinese and global economic growth by 0.1 percentage points to 6.1 percent and 3.1 percent, respectively. “The trade war is now a reality,” said Fitch’s chief economist, Brian Coulton, in a report. “The downside risks to our global growth forecasts have also increased.”

Friday October 12, 2018

Trieste aims to be china’s main port in Europe he Chinese are keen to invest in new terminals, docks, yards, logistics platforms and industrial areas in the northern Italian port, given its deeper integration into EU rail networks than Piraeus, the Greek port taken over by Cosco in 2016 A seaport city of just over 200,000 residents in northeast Italy could play a significant geopolitical role in promoting Eurasian integration. The port of Trieste is only the 11th busiest in Europe by tonnage, but nonetheless is designed to become the western end of the Maritime Silk Road, a key section of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative to improve connectivity between China and Western Europe. Zeno D’Agostino, president of the Port Network Authority of the Eastern Adriatic Sea, the public company that runs Trieste port and other facilities in the area, told Asia Times that the Chinese were ready to invest in the infrastructure.

“They have been attracted by Trieste’s geographic position, strong connectivity with the rest of Europe and robust supply chain,” he said. –CB Report

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Russia’s ‘blockade’ of Sea of Azov ports angers ukraine MOSCOW

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eagulls whirl over the docks of Ukraine’s port of Mariupol on the Sea of Azov as huge cranes once used to unload ships’ cargoes stand idle. The uncharacteristic quiet is the product of rising tensions in the small sea, the waters of which Russia and Ukraine agreed to share more than a decade ago, but is now the latest theatre in the bitter conPlict between the two nations.

Russia’s annexation of the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine in 2014 means ships must now pass through a narrow strait bordered

by Russian-controlled territory on both sides, while Kremlin-backed rebel regions of eastern Ukraine are uncomfortably close to Mariupol.

In a growing crisis, Kiev and the West accuse Russia of deliberately

blocking ships from entering the sea. “The whole time I’ve worked here, I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Sergiy Kostyrko, a tanned foreman who has worked at the Mariupol docks for 23 years. “Ships have become very rare visitors to our port.” Ukraine criticises what it sees as a deliberate move by Moscow to block the Kerch Strait, the only shipping route into the Azov Sea, where Ukraine’s commercial ports of Mariupol and Berdyansk are crucial gateways for its metallurgy industry exports.

Russia is trying to block Ukraine’s ports on the Sea of Azov acting “to escalate tensions and, it cannot be ruled out, to carry out a military operation (including) attacks on Mariupol”, Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko declared in July. In a sign of the conPlict’s growing scale, the United States has condemned Russia for impeding mar-

itime transit as part of a campaign “to undermine and destabilise Ukraine”. “We call on Russia to cease its harassment of international shipping in the Sea of Azov,” the US Department of State said in a statement late August. The European Union’s delegation to Ukraine said earlier this month that Russia “has increasingly and deliberately hindered and delayed the passage of vessels, including vessels from EU member states”. Foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova insisted this week that “Russia’s actions in checking ships are aimed solely at security.”

“It is precisely Kiev’s actions, those of its uncontrollable radicals, that force Russia to strengthen security measures,” she said.

The problems started upon Russia’s completion this spring of a bridge over the Kerch Strait connecting its southern mainland to

Crimea. The link spanning 19 kilometres (12 miles) was one of Moscow’s mega-projects personally endorsed by President Vladimir Putin, who opened it in May at the wheel of a lorry. The bridge’s 35metre arches are too low for some ships to pass under and there are also restrictions on length.

In addition, ships heading under the bridge now face lengthy checks by Russian maritime border guards, causing additional Pinancial losses for both ports and shipping companies. “The check takes three to four hours but waiting for the inspectors takes up to Pive days,” said Mariupol port director Oleksandr Oliynyk. Previously “the ships would be stopped for maybe 10 hours.” The result for Ukraine is a signiPicant drop in shipping trafPic and subsequent economic losses. Shipping companies lose between $5,000 and $15,000 with each day of delay for a cargo in the Kerch Strait, Oliynyk said.

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SBP says dollar movement to correct imbalances in external account KARACHI: The dollar increased by as much as Rs11.70 in the interbank market, before closing at Rs133.64. It had closed the previous day at Rs124.27 to the dollar.

The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) explained the move as reflective of current account dynamics and a demand-supply gap in the foreign exchange market.

“Although the current account deficit narrowed in August 2018, a consistent increase in the oil import bill on account of rising international oil prices has exerted pressure in the foreign exchange market,” the central bank said in a statement.

Friday October 12, 2018

Business

Sc dismisses nandipur petition after nAB reference ISLAMABAD

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he Supreme Court (SC) wrapped up a case pertaining to the delay in the construction in Nandipur power project after the three-member bench was told that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had Piled a reference in this regard.

Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar, who was heading the bench, expressed satisfaction over the development and said that NAB should not let the SC’s observations “affect the accountability court”. He added that the application – Piled by former defence min-

nAB again summons Ali Jahangir Siddiqui LAHORE

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ister Khawaja Asif – had been rendered ineffective after NAB’s reference and dismissed it. The chief justice said that the delay in the Piling of

fIA issues 895 notices to individuals in foreign properties case, Sc told

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he National Accountability Bureau has summoned Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States, Ali Jahangir Siddiqui, in a case of alleged corruption. The ambassador has been issued a notice to appear before the anti-corruption watchdog in Pakistan on Oct 19. Siddiqui is facing charges regarding the role of his company – Azgard Nine Limited – in the alleged manipulation of shares that resulted in a loss of billions of rupees to the national exchequer.

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the reference was due to the law ministry’s lack of cooperation. The Nandipur case was initiated in August this year when the SC restored

the 2011 petition of former minister for defence Khawaja Asif on alleged corruption in the construction of 525-megawatt combined cycle power plant at Nandipur (Gujranwala). The court had also issued notices to Wapda and the Pakistan Electric Power Company.

In 2013, the apex court on the petition appointed a one-man commission of retired Justice Rehmat Hussain Jafri on the Nandipur project. In its 94-page report, the commission concluded that the national exchequer suffered a colossal loss of Rs113 billion due to negligence of the then federal law ministry for causing delay in giving necessary approval and completing documents for the execution of 950-megawatt power generation projects of Nandipur and Chichon-Ki-Malian.

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ISLAMABAD

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he federal government on informed the Supreme Court (SC) that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) issued notices to 895 individuals in the foreign properties case.

A three-member bench headed

by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar was told that 642 afPidavits have been obtained out of 895 notices were issued inquiring about the foreign property.

Attorney General Anwar Mansoor Khan also said that out of the 642 afPidavits, 185 are from Punjab, 390 from Sindh, 52 from Islamabad, 4 from Balochistan and 17 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The court was further informed that some individuals claim they disclosed their properties recently in the amnesty scheme, some are under probe by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and some individuals have disowned the properties. In order to initiate further proceedings to recover money from those who illegally own properties abroad, the attorney general has sought two weeks from

the court, however, the CJP urged him to speed up the process. Last month, the SC directed FIA to present a report pertaining to the legality of 2,700 properties acquired by Pakistanis in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The hearing has been adjourned till October 25.

Earlier, Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Special Assistant on Accountability Shahzad Akbar had said that the newly constituted Asset Recovery Unit (ARU) comprising National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) ofPicials will investigate over 10,000 foreign properties owned

by Pakistanis.

Saad Rafique moves Ihc to avoid nAB arrest LAHORE

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akistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) leader Khawaja Saad Rafique on Wednesday approached the Islamabad High Court (LHC) against his possible arrest by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in a graft case. The former railways minister moved a petition in the IHC seeking directives for the Bureau not to arrest him during his next appearance before its team for questioning in the Paragon Housing Society scam. Citing NAB officials as respondents in his petition, Saad Rafique pleaded the court to restrain the Bureau from arresting him. He further requested that the Bureau be directed to grant two weeks’ time for submitting response before taking any such action. Last month, Khawaja Saad Rafique appeared before a NAB team to answer its queries over his alleged involvement in the Paragon Housing Society corruption scandal. NAB had launched an investigation into the scandal after protests by dozens of victims against the housing society fraud. Former Punjab chief minister Shehbaz Sharif and former Lahore Development Authority (LDA) director general Ahad Cheema and others are in custody over allegations of corruption against them in Ashiana Iqbal Housing Society scam.

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‘nAB recovers Rs297b looted money from corrupt elements’ KARACHI

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AB Chairman Justice (R) Javed Iqbal has said that the Bureau is absolutely committed to eradicate corruption with iron hands, and the eradication of corruption is the top most priority of NAB. ”NAB has devised comprehensive National Anti Corruption Strategy which has been acknowl-

edged by national and international organizations like PILDAT, Transparency International and World Economic Forum in their reports.

Due to its continued efforts, NAB has recovered Rs297 billion looted money from corrupt elements and deposit in national exchequer which is a record achievement,” said the NAB Chairman.

He said that NAB is a role model not only for the country, but also for entire SAARC countries. Owing to outstand-

ing performance of NAB, Pakistan’s corruption perception Index (CPI) has been decreased from 175 position to 116. He said that Pakistan is the only country in Asia whose corruption perception index is persistently on declining trend. The performance of NAB has been lauded by SAARC countries including India. NAB had been unanimously elected as chairman of SAARC Anti Corruption Forum which is the great achievement of Pakistan due to NAB’s efforts. He said that Pakistan

and China have inked a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to work jointly for ensuring transparency in China Pakistan economic coordination (CPEC) project. He said that NAB is playing vital role in recovering looted money from culprit elements. NAB from Oct 2017 to September 2018 has recovered billions of rupees from corrupt elements. The recovery made possible to return to hundreds of effectees of Housing Societies, Cooperative Housing Societies/modarba

scams, frauds and looted money of some government departments. The Chairman NAB said that a grading system has been started to review annual performance of NAB’s ofPicers/ofPicials. Under grading system, the performance of NAB Headquarters and NAB’s regional bureaus is scrutinized on monthly, quarterly; midterm and annual basis and all regional bureaus are informed about their merits and demerits to overcome their shortcomings.

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FPCCI hails formation f Council of Business Leaders PESHAWAR: Former Vice President, Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI), Mohammad Adnan Jalil has welcomed the constitution of Council of Business Leaders (CBL) by the Prime Minister Imran Khan, but expressed concern over the ignoring of SME sector in it.

In a statement issued he said that SME is the largest sector of the national economy. Therefore, it should have been given representation on the council. Mohammad Adnan Jalil, who is also the general secretary of KP Business Advisory Council (KP BAC) reminded that the PTI manifesto for the general elections of July 25 was mentioning the promotion of SME sector, but in the CBL it had given representation to only big tax payers while the SME sector has been ignored completely.

RccI express concerns over sharp fall in value of pakistani rupee

Chambers

IccI & DBAI call for shifting of District courts from f-8 markaz

RAWALPINDI

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he Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) has voiced serious concerns over the sharp fall in the value of Pakistani rupee against the US dollar and OGRA’s notification of up to 143 pc increase in gas prices. It would unleash a new wave of inflation in the country and create additional problems for business and industrial activities.

These remarks were made by RCCI newly elected President Malik Shahid Saleem while addressing a media briefing at chamber house here on Wednesday. The prevailing economic uncertainty in country is damaging the investor’s trust and stressed that gov-

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ernment should take urgent measures to end volatility and bring stability in the local currency. “A weaker rupee would increase the cost of doing business, especially for companies that are import-dependent”, he said. RCCI Chief cautioned that It must be kept in mind that the rising dollar would lead to costlier imports and the exporters will also bear the brunt due to rise in cost of imported raw materials, plunging the economy into further deep crisis.

Answering to a question on recent increase gas price and new slabs Malik Shahid Saleem said that the hikes in gas price will ultimately double the production cost of the industrial goods which will directly affect the key export sectors like Steel, cement and fertilizer. On a question on taxation, RCCI chief said that traders’ are not against the taxes, but they are against the harassment in the name of tax collection and audits from FBR.

Friday October 12, 2018

ISLAMABAD

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delegation of District Bar Association Islamabad led by its President Riasat Ali Azad visited Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry and exchanged views on the shifting of district courts from F-8 Markaz to a safe location. Raffat Farid Senior Vice President and Iftikhar Anwar Sethi Vice President ICCI were present at the occasion. Khurshid Ahmd Buttt, General Secretary, Barrister Qasim Nawaz Abbasi, cabinet members and Executive Committee of District Bar Association Islamabad were in the delegation.

Addressing the delegation, Ahmed Hassan Moughal, President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry said that F-8 Markaz was one of the important business centers of Islamabad and the presence of district courts in F-8 was not in conformity with the dignity of honorable judges and lawyers as their lives were always at risk in a business area. He said already incidents of terrorism have occurred in

F-8 Markaz in which precious lives were lost and shifting of courts from F-8 was necessary to avoid recurrence of such incidents in future.

He said the presence of district courts in F-8 Markaz was also a major cause of problems for the business community and residents of the area as it caused unnecessary rush of people and trafPic issues in Sector F-8 due to which business activities were suffering. He stressed that the government should arrange

early completion of under construction Islamabad High Court building in Sector G-5 so that with the shifting of IHC to G-5, district courts could be shifted to G-10 Sector. He assured that ICCI would fully cooperate with DBAI in its endeavors aimed at shifting of district courts from F-8 Markaz. Speaking at the occasion, Riast Ali Azad, President, District Bar Association Islamabad said that the groundbreaking of Islamabad High Court Building was

‘pak-kazakh annual trade could be increased’ ISLAMABAD

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akistan and Kazakhstan have great potential to enhance cooperation in many Pields and if both countries facilitate their private sectors, the annual bilateral trade volume could be increased from current below US$ 25 million to US$ 250-500 million. This was observed by Barlybay Sadykov, Ambassador Kazakhstan while exchanging views with Ahmed Hassan Moughal, President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry during his visit to Chamber House.

Raffat Farid Senior Vice President ICCI, Sheikh Amir Waheed, M. Shakeel Munir and Muhammad Hussain were also present at the occasion.

Barlybay Sadykov said that many Pakistani products including

fruits and vegetables, pharmaceuticals, surgical instruments, leather goods have great potential in Kazakhstan and Pakistani exporters should step up efforts to enhance exports of these products to Kazakh market. He said Kazakhstan has adopted a Strategy 2050 to become 20th most advanced country in the world and it offered a good opportunity to big Pakistani companies to explore JVs and investment in various sectors of Kazakhstan economy. He said a railway link was built from Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan to Iran which could be extended to Pakistan to promote bilateral trade and people to people contacts.

He said that the leadership of both countries had agreed on a roadmap and promoting trade was key component of that roadmap.

He said that Kazakh Embassy was

planning to organize a conference in Pakistan by the end of October or November to highlight the business and investment potential in Kazakhstan and ICCI should join hands with his Embassy in organizing that event. He said that ICCI should identify the trade barriers with Kazakhstan and share with his Embassy so that measures could be taken to address them. He assured that he would work closely with ICCI for promoting bilateral trade and economic relations between Kazakhstan and Pakistan.

Speaking at the occasion, Ahmed Hassan Moughal, President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry said that Kazakhstan was rich in natural resources including oil, gas, gold and coal and Pakistan would like to strengthen its cooperation with it to achieve win-win results.

held in November 2012 in Sector G5 at an area of Pive-acre land, but after the lapse of 6 years, the building has not been completed as yet which was causing delay in shifting of district courts from F-8. He stressed that the government should release necessary funds for early completion of IHC building to pave way for the shifting of district courts to Sector G-10. He said the shifting of district courts from F-8 would also provide relief to traders and residents of the area.

He said the setting up of additional lawyers’ chambers in F-8 has become difPicult as there was no more space for them and the lawyers were facing great difPiculties in discharging their professional duties.

He said the best solution of all such problems was to ensure early completion of IHC building in G-5 so that district courts could be shifted from F-8 to G-10. It would enable judges and lawyers to perform their duties in a safe and secure environment to provide justice to the citizens. Both bodies also agreed to work jointly for achieving the common goals of business and lawyers community and resolving key issues of the city.

IccI calls for business friendly tax reforms to broaden tax base he Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ICCI) has called upon the government to take urgent measures for business friendly tax reforms to broaden the tax base so that taxpayers could willingly come forward to pay tax and ensure voluntary compliance of tax laws.

Ahmed Hassan Moughal, President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry said that the prevailing complex and unfair tax system in Pakistan was a major hurdle in expanding the tax net, therefore, a simple tax system with low tax rates and low compliance cost was the need of the hour to enhance the tax revenue of the country. –CB Report

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Sialkot FIA seals three illegal currency exchanges SIALKOT: The special teams of Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) raided in Sialkot and unearthed three illegal currency exchanges in various parts of Sialkot city.

Deputy Director Mufakhar Adeel told media that the FIA teams sealed these illegal currency exchanges in Sialkot and arrested their accused owners Abdul Rehman, Muhammad Sarfraz and Salman Butt for running these illegal currency exchanges in Sialkot.

Friday, October 12, 2018

CUSTOMS BULLETIN

Quetta customs foils attempt to smuggle hashish & chemicals worth Rs5.58m QUETTA wAQAR AhmED AnSARI www.customsbulletin.com

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irectorate of Customs Intelligence and Investigation foiled a bid to smuggle hashish and liquid chemical (used in manufacturing in drugs) worth Rs5.58 million during special checking.

Sources told Customs Today that Director Customs Intelligence and Investigation Muhammad Akram Chaudhary received a tip-off that some smugglers are trying to smuggle Iranian diesel out of Quetta.

He constituted a raiding team under the supervision of Inspector Mansoor Aqeel Khan and others.

The team enhanced the surveillance on Quetta Highway (exit road) and started searching of vehicles.

During the search operation, the team intercepted a vehicle (Suzuki) bearing registration no: BSK-9371 which was going outside of Quetta.

During the checking, the customs team recovered 20 kilograms of hashish and 5 liters liquid chemical (used in manufacturing in drugs) worth Rs 5.58 million including vehicle used in smuggling. The customs team seized all drugs and vehicle used in smuggling, arrested a smugglers.

Anf seizes over 37kg drugs, arrests 24 suspects ISLAMABAD

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nti Narcotics Force (ANF), in continuation to its execution of zerotolerance against drugs, has conducted 19 countrywide operations and seized 37.155kg narcotics valuing Rs144.29 million internationally. The Force, during these operations also arrested 24 persons including a foreigner and

three ladies involved in drug smuggling while seven vehicles were impounded. The seized drugs comprised 24.3kg hashish, 5.8 kg heroin, 5.875 kg amphetamine, 1.18 kg methamphetamine and 240 liters Hydrochloric Acid (suspected).

As per details, ANF Rawalpindi arrested a Nigerian Sinmiyou Ayinde Shaeed from Naseerabad Bus Stop, opposite Kohinoor Mills, Peshawar Road, Rawalpindi and recovered 1.3 Kg Heroin from his personal possession. In another operation, ANF Rawalpindi intercepted a Honda CG-125 Motorcy-

cle from Tarnol Railway Crossing, Islamabad and recovered 1 Kg Hashish from rider Muhammad Iftikhar, resident of Mansehra. In third operation, ANF Rawalpindi arrested Said Rehman, resident of Mardan from Islamabad International Airport and recovered 2.005 Kg Amphetamine concealed in his travelling bag. The arrested accused intended to Ply for Madina (KSA) by Etehad Airlines Flight No. EK-615. In fourth operation, ANF Rawalpindi intercepted two Suzuki Mehran cars from Kamra Bus Stop, GT Road, Attock and recovered 2.5 Kg Hashish & 200 Gram Ampheta-

mine from personal possession of the accused Khan Wali, resident of Attock, Haseeb Ullah, resident of Peshawar and Abid Ameen, resident of Nowshera arrested from vehicles. In Pifth operation, ANF Rawalpindi arrested Abdul Qadir,resident of Kurram Agency from Islamabad International Airport and recovered 900 Gram Amphetamine from his trolley bag.

The arrested accused intended to Ply for Dammam (KSA) by Flight No. WY-348. In sixth operation, ANF Rawalpindi arrested Irfan Gul with his wife Gul Seet and infant child Habiba, resident of Swabi

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from Islamabad International Airport and recovered 1.97 Kg Amphetamine concealed in milk box kept in their travelling bag. The arrested family intended to Ply for Jeddah (KSA) by Plight No. PA-270.

In seventh operation, ANF Rawalpindi on information arrested Mohsin Zada, Shah Izat, Paras Bibi and Amina Bibi all resident of Upper Dir from Islamabad International Airport on suspicion of ingested Heroin Pilled capsules. The arrested accused were shifted to Benazir Shaheed Hospital where they delivered a total of 202 Heroin Pilled capsules weighing 1.36 Kg Heroin.