KPT (Karachi Port Trust) deserves commendation for unearthing an exploitative scam run by certain shipping companies who have been allegedly fleecing traders and hurting the exchequer right under the authorities’ noses.

It turns out that traders have been subject to “exorbitantly high and totally unjust charges” and “overcharging under various heads without any justification”.

And since shipping companies could furnish the KPT chairman with nothing better than “lame excuses” when finally questioned about all this, they’ve now been directed to submit details of their registrations, licenses, relevant laws and any other agreements that might authorise imposing “excessively high charges” within 10 days.

More importantly, this line of questioning might have opened another Pandora’s Box that could rattle a number of ministries in Islamabad. Because the KPT chairman had also sought details of agreements between shipping companies and SBP (State Bank of Pakistan) for remitting dollars outside the country.

That’s to ascertain if said companies are committing the “big offence” of routing foreign exchange outside Pakistan and acting against national interest. If this turns out to be true, it will surely beg investigation.

Stories of corruption in and around the port, especially when it comes to shipping companies and their bad habits, are not new. Neither is the odd headline about some heavyweight in the hierarchy – like the KPT chairman this time – promising to clean the rot.

But the racket that has been exposed this time purportedly involves such blatant misuse of authority to swindle traders that failure to take necessary action and make heads roll could compromise not just the integrity but also the day to day working of the port and deal yet another completely needless blow to the government and the treasury.

Now that the spotlight is on this mess once again, hopefully it will not be too hard to sort it out.

Mehtab Qaimkhani (Karachi)

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024