Customs Promises To End Cargo Backlogs With Scanners At KCCI Meeting.

Chief Collector Customs Appraisement Wajid Ali has assured the business community that Customs will utilize newly installed scanning facilities to reduce physical examination of cargo, improve clearance times, and prevent recurring backlogs at Karachi’s terminals, emphasizing that greater coordination between Customs, terminal operators, and trade is essential for effective trade facilitation.

Addressing an interactive meeting at the Karachi Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KCCI) on Wednesday, Wajid Ali said the purpose of installing scanners was specifically to reduce physical examinations and that Customs was working with the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to avoid unnecessary physical examination where scanning was available.

President KCCI Rehan Hanif, Senior Vice President KCCI Muhammad Raza, Senior Vice President Arif Lakhani, Chairman Customs & Valuation Subcommittee Junaid Mehmood, Former Presidents Zubair Motiwala, Tariq Yousuf, Shamim Ahmed Firpo, Iftikhar Ahmed Sheikh, and KCCI Executive Committee Members also attended the meeting.

Wajid Ali further said risk-management mechanisms would also be strengthened to prevent cargo backlogs, particularly at KICT, while Customs would examine operational arrangements with terminal operators and the business community to improve cargo movement and clearance.

Wajid Ali stressed that direct interaction with the business community was vital for understanding the genuine day-to-day problems faced by trade, noting that such issues could not always be identified through internal meetings or official directions. While appreciating KCCI for raising its concerns in a professional and precise manner, Chief Collector said that resolving genuine issues promptly benefited not only individual businesses but also clearance times, revenue collection, and overall trade facilitation.

Wajid Ali also agreed that Customs processes should have clearly defined timelines and measurable performance benchmarks, in line with international best practices. He acknowledged that while statutory deadlines were often strictly enforced on businesses, corresponding timelines were not always available for processes where businesses awaited action from Customs, and agreed that the matter required consideration at the policy level.

On the Alternative Dispute Resolution mechanism, Wajid Ali said the relevant law had been amended and a broader committee, headed by a retired judge and including Customs and business representatives, had been constituted. He stressed that the mechanism needed to become fully operational to reduce litigation and provide faster resolution of disputes.

He assured the business community that Customs would continue examining issues relating to valuation, classification, examination, laboratory reports, and other operational bottlenecks, while stressing that the objective remained to facilitate legitimate trade without compromising revenue protection.

Former President KCCI Zubair Motiwala, who joined the meeting via Zoom, appreciated the Customs leadership for its responsiveness but emphasized that defined timelines and greater automation were essential to eliminate remaining bottlenecks.

He particularly called for modernization of the duty-calculation process, stressing that routine duty calculations should be processed through an automated system without repetitive approvals or unnecessary human intervention.

Motiwala said automation would reduce processing time, minimize human error, and provide businesses with greater predictability. He also appreciated the Green Channel mechanism and called for further strengthening of technology-based facilitation for compliant businesses.

Earlier, President KCCI Rehan Hanif, while welcoming Chief Collector, highly appreciated Wajid Ali’s responsiveness, describing him as a senior and highly reputed FBR officer who had consistently addressed business concerns on a priority basis. He said KCCI had no major complaints regarding Customs operations under Wajid Ali’s supervision, although several proposals were being put forward to further strengthen the system.

Giving the example of the recent KICT backlog, Rehan Hanif said that after contacting the Chief Collector regarding the issue, Wajid Ali convened a meeting with KICT and business representatives the very next morning to work towards its resolution. He also appreciated the accessibility of senior Customs officials and their prompt response to business concerns.

Rehan Hanif urged Customs to increase the number of Additional Collectors of Customs (ADCs), pointing out that the shortage was placing excessive workload on available officers and forcing businesses to approach senior officials for matters that could be resolved at the ADC level.

He also called for a mechanism to ensure that examination assignments were completed without unnecessary delays when officers were rotated. He suggested that once an examination was assigned, it should preferably be completed by the same officer or properly handed over to ensure continuity.

President KCCI further called for making the Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee (ADRC) fully operational, with appropriate representation from Customs and the business community, so that disputes could be resolved through consultation rather than prolonged litigation. He also urged that Classification Committee decisions be promptly uploaded online to provide businesses with greater transparency and certainty.

Rehan Hanif also requested reconsideration of the discontinuation of small-vessel and launch operations for exports, particularly as such vessels could prove useful during any future regional disruption to conventional maritime operations.