Since the trade has been linked with security following the September 11 events, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Resource Centre of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) will organise a presentation on security compliance/obligations for the exports from Pakistan at the Federation House here on Thursday (March 11).
The consultant, trade facilitation project of the United Nations Commission on Trade and Development (Unctad), Irfan Naqvi, will make the presentation on Supply Chain Security N-152 to help in understanding of trade and security linkages and to educate as to what measures have to be taken before exporting goods from Pakistan.
According to the Unctad, security issues in the wake of September 11 incidents have generated a serious concern the world over, Pakistan also needs to take stock of the situation.
The presentation is designed to inform all stakeholders of what is happening in the world, how it may impact exports from Pakistan and what needs to be done. Awareness is the starting point and the presentation makes it the central issue.
The gathering would include the following stakeholders:
-Exporters, particularly to the US and also to Europe and Far East.
-Freight forwarders, who play an active role in arranging shipments, transporters who form an important link in the supply chain, shipping agents, customs officials, terminal operators, etc.
The FPCCI Vice-President and Incharge, WTO Resource Centre, Engr. M.A.Jabbar, told Business Recorder here on Wednesday that the trade and security were becoming another known terminology within the ambit of political economy of the world trading system.
The present agreements of the WTO appeared to be travelling beyond trade and environment to trade and security and this new linkage was now being given priority for enforcement and Harmonisation through world customs organisation from Brussels, he said.
The basic idea of trade and security originated from the document of the US homeland security, administered by the US customs, he said.
The system, he said, called for taking many measures, including screening of containers and profiling of the exporters to ensure that the export merchandise from the country were free from any apprehension of misuse, which otherwise might disturb the peace of the civil society of the US.
The world customs organisation is asking all the countries to make necessary arrangements so that the security of the merchandise under export is ensured for its bona fide declaration. Besides, bioterrorism will also eventually integrate, requiring taking of examining measures by local customs, which will include use of science involving making the use of analytical chemistry approaches.
He said that during the last deliberations with the logistic consultant to the Unctad in one of the meetings held in the FPCCI on trade facilitation, he had categorically stated that the US on its security would not compromise and Pakistan must take measures to comply with the requirements of the national security manual issued by the US homeland security.
Engr. Jabbar said that the Pakistan Customs had also prepared recommendations, which included identified share of responsibilities for stakeholders, exporters, freight forwarders, shipping agents and transporters.
Besides, the customs was also upgrading mode of checking of profiles of the exporters and making examination system to come near to the requirements of security linking with the export trade, he said.
The random basis examinations of the containers is also one of the jobs, which the customs is claiming to be part of the agenda given by the security document.
It also intends to move the examined containers to the security yard before loading on the ships.
The transit waiting of containers would ensure non-tampering as the seals after the examination would be of the type to match with similar usage of seals in other parts, which would also open only by E-Systems of decoding, he said.
He further said that it was likely that the US customs might come to Pakistan and prepare a model for the implementation of this project and might also assist in providing X-ray radiation screenings and other facilities to ensure that the containers had been fully satisfied with for security reasons and the information systems were also satisfied with against their requirements for the export merchandise landing into the US seaports for consumption in the US.
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