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pAkISTAN’S FIrST INDepTH NewSpAper oN cUSToMS
vol 2 Issue No. 26
weekly
karachi, Tue July 15 - Mon July 21, 2014
regd. No, Mc-1381
Price Rs. 50.00
BooSTINg exporTS
Exports to European markets grew by an additional $700 million because of GSP+ status, says Commerce Minister Khurram Dastgir | See pAge 09 | DevISINg New STrATegy
FBR ChairmanTariq Bajwa devises new strategy to achieve the annual revenue target for FY 2014-15 | See pAge 03 | TAkINg AcTIoN ISLAMABAD
MUHAMMAD FAIZAN www.customstoday.com
FBR initiates disciplinary proceedings against more than 200 oďŹƒcers belonging to both Customs and Inland Revenue groups, says Shahid Hussain | See pAge 03 | DevelopINg gwADAr
Gwadar Port Authority Chairman Dostain Khan Jamaldini describes Gwadar Port as a game changer, saying that it is set to turn Pakistan into an economic hub of the region | See pAge 06 |
T
he anti-smuggling unit of Rawalpindi Directorate General of Customs Intelligence and Investigation (I & I) raided a warehouse in Fazayia Colony near Islamabad Airport and seized non-customs paid electronic items including airconditions, refrigerators, washing machines, microwave ovens and LCD televisions worth billion rupees. The consignment was imported under cloak of Afghan transit trade and later smuggled into Pakistan illegally. It is being described as one of the biggest raids carried out by the Rawalpindi Customs authorities in the current year. As per details, the anti-smuggling unit of the Rawalpindi Customs Directorate was tipped off that a large number of electronic appliances worth billions rupees had been smuggled into Pakistan from Afghanistan which had been hidden in the warehouse of a private postal service. Tax amount of Rs3 billion is being estimated to have been evaded through the smuggling of
these electronic appliances. The Customs Anti-smuggling Unit under the command of Deputy Director Shahid Jan raided the warehouse and recovered 800 split AC units, 46 washing machines, 6 LCD screens, refrigerators and microwave ovens. Rawalpindi Director of Customs Intelligence Chaudhry ZulRiqar and Additional Director Muhammad Saleem were monitoring the raid. The smuggled electronic items are said to be property of a trader namely Ghazanfar Gul. Meanwhile, when the police interrogated the arrested workers and asked the trader about the legal status of the seized items, they expressed their complete ignorance about their presence in the warehouse. It is to be noted that stickers of Afghan Transit Trade were glued on the boxes of impounded items. After the raid, the high-ups of Customs Intelligence also visited the warehouse. Meanwhile, Directorate of Intelligence and Investigation-Customs, Rawalpindi has seized non-duty paid
tea, LED TVs, tyres, tubes and foreign cloth from a bus. The bus was coming from Peshawar and the goods conRiscated were worth hundreds of thousands of rupees. An FIR had been registered against three persons two of whom were arrested at the spot. The officials of Anit-smuggling Unit of the directorate came upon the bus coming from Peshawar at Sang Jani Toll Plaza. On proper examination, four 40 inch LED TVs, 27 bags of black tea brought in from Afghanistan weighing about 1836 kg, 41 new and 7 used tyres and tubes of Bridgestone brand and of various sizes and 14 kg foreign cloth were revealed. When asked about the ownership of the goods, the driver claimed it but remained unable to produce any of the required documents which could show confirmation of paid duties/taxes on his possessions thereby establishing their illegal import. Confiscated goods valued at 4.5 million rupees.
800 split AC units, 46 washing machines, 6 LCD screens, refrigerators and microwave ovens recovered