DG (I&I) recommendation: Customs manpower at strategic locations be beefed up

The Directorate General Intelligence and Investigation has strongly recommended the Federal Board of Revenue to immediately increase the customs manpower at strategic locations, creating a strong Customs Border Force to check mega container scams and misuse of transit trade facility.
Sources told Business Recorder here on Friday that the FBR has chalked out a new anti-smuggling strategy and customs enforcement policy after detection of Isaf/Nato Containers scam. On the DG Intelligence recommendations, particularly relating to mega scams along with transit trade rules violation and other customs related crimes unearthed by the DG (I&I) recently, there is an urgent need to have strong customs manpower at strategic locations. Besides, Directorate General also needs to be strengthened to cope with sophisticated customs related crimes.
In view of the above, a detailed proposal for strengthening the department is enclosed which should be attached to cadre strength plan already devised by FBR to effectively deal with the new challenges of 21st Century. The presence of smuggled goods in posh markets of all major cities, calls for creation of a specialised Customs Border Force to nip the evil in the bud.
The countries with large porous borders have mostly established Customs Border Forces within their customs establishments for the prevention of smuggling and related security threats. The directorate in Pakistan has been trying to manage this by empowering other Law Enforcement Agencies ie the Pakistan Rangers, FCs, Police, etc, under the Customs Act, 1969 which has not worked, as evident from the availability of smuggled goods in abundance in our commercial markets.
In order to tackle with the issue effectively it is strongly recommended that a Customs Border Force be created and deployed at our western borders with Afghanistan and Iran and the coastal Belt of Balochistan & Sindh. The three segments of this Customs Border Force should be headed by Directors/Collectors reporting to a Director General of the Customs Border Force, stationed at Karachi/Islamabad.
Sources said that the challenges faced by customs administration are manifold including globalisation of business and trade, complex new governance rules, international terrorism, environmental protection and poverty reduction. The responsibilities in relation to the international movement of goods has broadened, and will continue in future, from the traditional role of collection of duties and taxes, to include executing controls and other activities that serve a wider set of government objectives. A good example of how customs responsibilities have broadened to encompass other government objectives can be found in the trade security arena. The increasing number of security threats has certainly changed the focus of customs administrations from more traditional roles of managing compliance to imposing measures that would enhance trade security. In the context of Pakistan this is more than required as obvious from the recent scams in transit trade unearthed by the Directorate General of Intelligence and Investigation.
In view of the foregoing, it is imperative to enhance the capacity of customs department by developing the skills of existing human resource in line with their future role, through need based training programs and inducting fresh blood for catering to the needs of customs at all strategic locations, DG Intelligence and Investigation added.