New scanning facilities to help improve cargo clearance

KARACHI: Chief Collector Customs Appraisement Wajid Ali has assured the business community that Customs will utilise newly installed scanning facilities to reduce physical examination of cargo, improve clearance times and prevent recurring backlogs at Karachi’s terminals, emphasising that greater coordination between Customs, terminal operators and trade is essential for effective trade facilitation.

Addressing an interactive meeting at the Karachi Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KCCI) on Wednesday, Wajid Ali said the purpose of installing scanners was specifically to reduce physical examinations and that Customs was working with the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to avoid unnecessary physical examination where scanning was available.

Wajid Ali further said risk-management mechanisms would also be strengthened to prevent cargo backlogs, particularly at KICT, while Customs would examine operational arrangements with terminal operators and the business community to improve cargo movement and clearance.

He stressed that direct interaction with the business community was vital for understanding the genuine day-to-day problems faced by trade, noting that such issues could not always be identified through internal meetings or official directions.

While appreciating KCCI for raising its concerns in a professional and precise manner, Chief Collector said that resolving genuine issues promptly benefited not only individual businesses but also clearance times, revenue collection and overall trade facilitation.

Wajid Ali also agreed that Customs processes should have clearly defined timelines and measurable performance benchmarks, in line with international best practices.

He acknowledged that while statutory deadlines were often strictly enforced on businesses, corresponding timelines were not always available for processes where businesses awaited action from Customs, and agreed that the matter required consideration at the policy level.

On the Alternative Dispute Resolution mechanism, Wajid Ali said the relevant law had been amended and a broader committee, headed by a retired judge and including Customs and business representatives, had been constituted. He stressed that the mechanism needed to become fully operational to reduce litigation and provide faster resolution of disputes.

Former President KCCI Zubair Motiwala called for modernization of the duty-calculation process, stressing that routine duty calculations should be processed through an automated system without repetitive approvals or unnecessary human intervention.

President KCCI Rehan Hanif said KCCI had no major complaints regarding Customs operations, although several proposals were being put forward to further strengthen the system.

He urged Customs to increase the number of Additional Collectors of Customs (ADCs), pointing out that the shortage was placing excessive workload on available officers and forcing businesses to approach senior officials for matters that could be resolved at the ADC level.

He also called for a mechanism to ensure that examination assignments were completed without unnecessary delays when officers were rotated.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026