International Customs Day: Message From Muhammad Javed Ghani Secretary Revenue Division / Chairman FBR

TEXT: Bilateral and multilateral trade, in the 21st Century, have grown tremendously, posing both challenges as well as providing opportunities to Customs administrations throughout the world. To tap this potential, Pakistan Customs under the umbrella of Federal Board of Revenue has embraced information technology, modern equipment, trade frameworks and various trade facilitation measures as engines of growth and trade development.

1. As it is looked ahead to 2021 from the perspective of Customs, the theme for this year’s International Customs Day is “Customs bolstering Recovery, Renewal and Resilience for a sustainable supply chain” which envisions a professional, enabling service culture as a building block for modern Customs administrations. This theme is not only in line with the initiatives that have already been undertaken by the Government of Pakistan but is what FBR and Pakistan Customs constantly strives to be.

2. It is because of the concrete initiatives taken by Pakistan Customs that FBR has been able to withstand the crippling effects of a global COVID-19 pandemic and our services remained operational even during the peak periods of lockdown observed across the country. The Director of World Economic Forum (WEF) Mr. Klaus Schwab has called the COVID-19 pandemic as the “Great Reset”. It is heartening to announce that Pakistan Customs, in the reconstruction process after the disruption that the pandemic had caused on global supply chains owing to the Great Reset, is fully geared to take up the challenge of playing a leadership role at both national and international levels by integration of major innovative and technological concepts into the Customs Operations.

3. With the sole objective of ensuring a climate which encourages facilitation of legitimate trade & travel under Customs international commitments, various ambitious IT regimes are underway. To mention a few big ones, the Pakistan Single Window (PSW), Integrated Transit Trade Management System (ITTMS), Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) programme and the multimodal Transports International Routers (TIR) regime are under various stages of development and implementation. Under the PSW initiative, 44 different organizations will be connected online, reducing cost of doing business, whereas the ITTMS envisages reduced processing times at border crossing points of Wagah, Torkham and Chaman. Under the WCO’s SAFE Framework of Standards, the Authorized Economic Operators programme aims at recognizing trusted importers and exporters and will reduce the cost of doing business substantially. With these initiatives, Pakistan Customs has joined the comity of vibrant customs administrations and is imparting benefit to stakeholders along the trade supply chain. The TIR regime will provide for a barrier free access to Pakistan’s economy and market so that its competitive trade goods will be able to flow with the minimum transport costs.

4. Pakistan Customs, under Federal Board of Revenue, renews its commitment towards continuous improvements towards bolstering Recovery, Renewal and Resilience for a sustainable supply chain.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021