Sarhadi opposes shifting of clearance assessment to Karachi port

PESHAWAR: Member Executive of Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) and Chairman of the Dry Port Standing Committee, Zia-ul-Haq Sarhadi has expressed concern over a new policy shifting of all clearance assessments at dry ports of the country at Karachi port.

In a press statement issued here on Sunday, Zia Sarhadi said that in a meeting of the Chairman Federal Board of Revenue and senior officials of Customs, it was decided that from July 1, 2025, all the clearance assessment at dry ports of the entire country will be done in Karachi and instructions have been issued to all the relevant collectorates and departments of Customs in this regard.

Zia-ul-Haq Sarhadi, who is also the Senior Vice President of the Pak-Afghan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PAJCCI) and President of the Frontier Customs Agents Association (FCAA), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, said that our position is that the faceless customs assessment system must be implemented in the entire country, but if the clearance assessment at all the dry ports of the country is done only in Karachi, then other dry ports in rest of the country will be closed.

“The Central Assessment Units should be set up in every collectorate for Karachi-style assessment and customs clearance of the entire country should be done under this system,” he stressed.

Customs agents and millions of people are associated with dry ports and if this system becomes prevalent, dry ports will become deserted and closed and thousands of people including customs agents will become unemployed, Zia expressed the fear.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025