ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has taken serious notice of blackmailing by certain customs officers at airports and directed that the bonafide passenger baggage carrying banned items would not be stopped/seized and genuine passengers be facilitated. In this connection, the FBR has issued instructions to all customs authorities at the airports here on Friday on the implementation of SRO 598(1)/2022.
According to the FBR’s instructions, refer to the subject cited above and to state that SRO 598(I)/2022 was issued on May 19, 2022, whereby, a detailed list of items was issued whose import was banned till further notice.
It has come to the notice of the Board that the field formations, especially at airports have started detaining even small quantities of goods, especially food items from the personal baggage of passengers causing hardship to the passengers.
Authorities seize chocolates from passenger at Jinnah International Airport, Karachi
It is to convey to all that board has taken a strong notice of the matter and directs that commercial quantities of the above banned items be seized and bonafide passenger baggage shall not be stopped/seized and genuine passengers facilitated, as per past practice. Any deviation from the above directions shall entail disciplinary action, the FBR added.
The government has imposed a ban on mobile phones, home appliances, fruits and dry fruits (except from Afghanistan), crockery, private weapons and ammunition, shoes, chandeliers and lighting (except energy savers), headphones and loudspeakers, sauces, ketchup, etc, doors and window frames, travelling bags and suitcases, sanitary ware, fish and frozen fish, carpets (except from Afghanistan), preserved fruits, tissue paper, furniture, shampoos, automobiles, confectionery, luxury mattresses and sleeping bags, jams and jelly, cornflakes, bathroom ware/ toiletries, heaters/ blowers, sunglasses, kitchenware, aerated water, frozen meat, juices, pasta, etc, ice cream, cigarettes, shaving goods, luxury leather apparel, musical instruments, saloon items such as hair dryers, etc, and chocolates.