LAHORE: President of the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) Ali Hussam Asghar has urged the businessmen to take full advantage of the pre-arrival Goods Declaration (GD) facility to expedite customs clearance, reduce delays, improve cash flow and lower the cost of doing business.
He was speaking during a meeting with the Chief Collector Appraisement (South) Wajid Ali at the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
LCCI Senior Vice President Sardar Usman Ghani, Vice President Chaudhry Khadim Hussain and Collector Appraisement Beelum Ramzan also spoke on the occasion. LCCI Senior Member Muhammad Amjad Chaudhry, Executive Committee Members Muhammad Ijaz Ghouri, Shahab Basharat, Sahir Mushtaq, Dr. Shehzad Mahmood, Muhammad Yasin and Muhammad Ali, former EC Members Haji Muhammad Akram, Chairman All Pakistan Customs Clearing Agents Association Masood Alam Wain, Sohail Mahmood Butt and former President of Khairpur Chamber Sajid Mir were also present.
Chief Collector Appraisement South Wajid Ali said Customs had made considerable progress in automation and trade facilitation over the past eight to ten years. However, he acknowledged that terminal charges, container detention, cargo handling, scanning and examination delays continued to impose significant costs on importers. He said that tariff reforms were expected to reduce duties on raw materials further over the next three years, making speedy clearance and lower logistics costs increasingly important for industrial competitiveness.
The Chief Collector explained that the pre-arrival clearance facility, introduced in July 2025, allowed importers and customs agents to file a Goods Declaration after the Import General Manifest (IGM) had been filed, without waiting for the vessel to berth.
He disclosed that approximately 10 percent of import clearances were currently using the pre-arrival facility. Customs wanted to increase its use significantly, with a target of up to 50 percent. He urged LCCI, customs agents and importers to raise awareness among the business community so that more businesses could benefit.
Responding to a question about air imports, the Chief Collector said Customs was working on an initiative referred to during the meeting as the Air Cargo Communication System. Addressing concerns about discrepancies between declared and assessed values, the Chief Collector explained that the value required for certain banking documents, including the Financial Instrument (FI), could differ from the value assessed by Customs.
The Chief Collector said that congestion at Karachi’s major terminals was affecting the scheduling of scanning and physical examinations. Limited terminal space could delay cargo movement and make examination arrangements more difficult.
LCCI President Ali Hussam Asghar urged businessmen and importers to take full advantage of the pre-arrival GD facility to expedite customs clearance, reduce delays, improve cash flow and lower the cost of doing business. He admired the progress made by Customs in automation over the past eight to ten years but stressed that further improvements were needed to resolve the everyday difficulties faced by industrialists and traders.
He informed the Chief Collector that the LCCI had established a Complaint Centre on the first day of its new leadership’s tenure and linked it with the dashboard of 11 economic ministries. He proposed stronger coordination between Lahore’s Customs Collectorates and LCCI’s complaint centre.
Ali Hussam Asghar urged Customs authorities to consult relevant stakeholders before initiating FIRs or enforcement action wherever appropriate. He clarified that the business community was not seeking protection for wrongdoing but wanted fair procedures, transparency and the opportunity for genuine businesses to explain their positions. He appreciated Customs officials’ positive response regarding the inclusion of LCCI leadership in relevant consultations and committees dealing with sales tax and matters involving FIRs.
He said that LCCI had identified three provincial laws for proposed amendments: the Punjab Enforcement and Regulatory Authority (PERA) Act, the Punjab Food Authority legislation and the Environmental Protection Agency legislation.
He referred to the visit of Speaker Punjab Assembly Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan to LCCI, during which the Chamber presented proposals for business-friendly amendments. LCCI expected to present its case before the relevant standing committees.
The LCCI President requested that Lahore’s Customs Valuation Regional Directorate be strengthened and empowered so that importers could resolve valuation-related matters locally rather than repeatedly travelling to Karachi. He also proposed online or Zoom-based hearings wherever appropriate to save time and reduce costs. He also urged the Chief Collector Appraisement to appoint a focal person.
LCCI Senior Vice President Sardar Usman Ghani highlighted the obstacle to pre-arrival clearance involving I-Form requirements and difficulties reportedly faced by importers in obtaining or processing the documents through banks. He suggested that Customs and the banking sector work together to address the problem so that documentation requirements did not undermine the benefits of pre-arrival processing.
Sardar Usman Ghani also raised concerns about the apparent shifting of customs-clearance activity and associated revenue away from Lahore following changes in relevant procedures. He noted that some sanctioned positions in Lahore were vacant and sought clarification regarding revenue targets assigned to Lahore’s Customs operations.
He said the possibility that some importers had shifted their clearance activities to Karachi needed to be examined carefully. He urged the business community, clearing agents and Customs authorities to work together to protect Lahore’s economic interests and ensure that the city was adequately represented at relevant forums.
LCCI Vice President Chaudhry Khadim Hussain said that importers needed clear information about pre-arrival clearance, documentation requirements, customs valuation, scanning, examination procedures and the responsibilities of terminal operators and banks. Khadim Hussain Chaudhry also presented the vote of thanks.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026