International Customs Day 2024: Messages from Fareed Iqbal Qureshi, Member Customs-Operations

As we embrace the dawn of another year, I extend my sincere salutations to the resilient and dedicated members of the Pakistan Customs fraternity on the commemoration of World Customs Day. This occasion holds profound significance, serving as a poignant reminder of our role as facilitators of international trade and guardians of national economic interests.

The year’s essence of World Customs Day 2024, encapsulated in its theme ‘Customs Engaging Traditional and New Partners with Purpose,’ drives us into a discourse on the dynamic interplay between tradition and innovation within the customs domain. It beckons us to not only honor the time-tested collaborations that have shaped our journey but also to cultivate synergies with the innovative partners who herald a new era in customs affairs.

Our customs traditions, forged through years of dedication, represent the bedrock upon which our successes rest. This celebration’s prompts us to not merely reflect on past accomplishments but also embrace new partners and challenges. The kaleidoscope of global trade dynamics necessitates a judicious balance - nurturing our enduring ties with traditional partners while actively seeking and embracing relationships with emerging stakeholders.

As the customs administration undergoes a metamorphoses on the back of technological advancements, its relationship with the traditional partners continues to be important as we are as much eager to share our experiences with the traditional partners as much as we are desirous of forging collaborative synergies with innovative partners for streamlining and strengthening the core customs function of trade facilitation and regulation. To navigate the emerging intricate terrain characterized by novel regulatory challenges, we must engage with new partners whose innovative perspectives and solutions will propel Pakistan Customs to the vanguard of 21st-century trade facilitation and regulation. To better position, Pakistan Customs in this era of technological revolutions, environmental and health crisis, as well as upheavals in regional / transit trade, Federal Government is contemplating restructuring of Pakistan Customs, with assignment of bigger responsibility of eradicating menace of smuggling and curtailing phenomenon of mis-invoicing. This, in other words, is acknowledgement of the role Pakistan Customs has always played in maintaining supply chain, trade enhancement, adoption of speedily changing technological environment through facilitation, but maintaining controls. I am sure that our Officers and Jawans are capable to take on the newly assigned role and will it a moment of pride for the whole country.

On this World Customs Day, let us renew our pledge to excellence, collaborative synergy, and purposeful engagement. Together, as a cohesive and forward-looking customs community, we chart a course towards a future where Pakistan Customs not only adapts to change but shapes and redefines the benchmarks of efficiency and effectiveness.

In the end, I extend my heartfelt appreciation to officers/officials of the Pakistan Customs for their unwavering commitment and immaculate professionalism. It is through their collective efforts that we stand as protectors, facilitating seamless trade and safeguarding the economic sovereignty of our nation.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024