All international airports: FBR to strictly monitor Afghan transit cargoes

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has decided to strictly monitor the Afghan transit cargoes arriving at all international airports in Pakistan for its movement to Afghanistan through Chaman, Torkham or Ghulam Khan land border customs stations.

The FBR has issued “Multimodal land-air corridor for transit of forward Afghan Transit Goods (Imports)” through an SRO 2046(I)/2022 to amend the Customs Rules, 2001 here on Thursday.

Through the notification, the FBR has also issued a procedure i.e. “Multimodal land-air corridor for transit of reverse Afghan Transit Goods (Exports). The new procedure has been issued for handling of the transit export cargo from Afghanistan entering through land border customs station Chaman, Torkham or Ghulam Khan for onward dispatch to the declared destination through international airport in Pakistan.

According to the new procedure on the processing of the transit goods on arrival at an international airport in Pakistan the transit shall be allowed for the cargo that is identified in cargo manifest of the aircraft as “Transit cargo”; the concerned airline shall submit application-cum cargo manifest for transit of imported cargo to the designated staff of Directorate of Transit Trade or Collectorate of Customs, as the case may be.

The authorised representative of cargo handler of the airline or aircraft shall mention the details of transit goods for Afghanistan separately in Import General Manifest (IGM) which shall be uploaded on Customs computerized system through web. After unloading, transit goods shall be stored separately at a place earmarked for them in the notified premises of a cargo handler’s covered shed inside the airport.

Afghan transit trade: FBR allows cross-stuffing of containerised cargo

The cargo handler shall be responsible for safe storage and security of such goods. In case of any pilferage, shortage, theft or damage to goods, he shall be liable to make payment of duty and taxes leviable thereon and compensate the owner of goods, FBR said. Afghan Transit (AT) GD shall be filed in WeBOC for clearance of goods along with documents mentioned at rule 601(2) of the Customs Rules, 2001, except that the B/L shall be read as airway bill, FBR stated.

The dispatch of transit goods from the International Airport in Pakistan to land border station (Chaman, Torkham or Ghulam Khan) shall only be allowed in containers.

The bonded carriers shall be authorized to use the empty sea containers of internationally accepted standardized dimensions and carrying valid original container numbers, taken from and with consent of respective shipping lines, to the effect that the containers so used should be on lease basis for a period of at least one hundred and eighty days for the carriage of loose transshipment cargo from port of first entry to other customs stations.

The land routes and timelines for transportation of transit cargo shall be prescribed by Directorate of Transit Trade in whose jurisdiction Airport of entry or exit falls, in consultation with the transport operators and licensed tracking and monitoring companies for geo-fencing the same.

The Directorate of Transit Trade shall conduct the reconciliation of transit cargo and empty containers as per mechanism already given under the relevant rules of Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade, the FBR added.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022