PESHAWAR: President Frontier Customs Agents Association (FCAA) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Zia-ul-Haq Sarhadi has demanded changes in newly introduced ‘Faceless Customs Assessment’, making it convenient and practical for business community dealing in import and export through upcountry dry ports such as Peshawar.
In a press statement issued here on Sunday, Sarhadi who also holds the offices of Senior Vice President Pak-Afghan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PAJCCI) and Executive Member Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), said that centralisation of Goods Declarations (GDs) process at Karachi port is causing difficulties for business community of other cities due to delay in processing and clearance.
The government must immediately engage with the business community to craft flexible and practical policies, Zia emphasized.
He welcomed a recent decision by Peshawar High Court (PHC) directing FBR to make necessary amendments in the system and bring it in conformity with the scheme governing the assessment and clearance of goods. The court also issued a directive for restricting application of Faceless Custom Assessment to clearance of goods reached at Azakhel Dry port.
Sarhadi explained that under the new system introduced by the Custom Department, all Goods Declarations (GDs) are routed to the Central Assessment Unit (CAU) in Karachi, even if they are filed at local dry ports.
This centralization has resulted in delays in clearance, as local agents cannot directly communicate with the assessing officers in Karachi in case queries or objections are raised, he added.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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