The Customs Collectorate (Export) has taken serious note of the exporters' complaints regarding anti-narcotic checks of the export consignments, and advised the Anti Narcotic Force (ANF) to stop unnecessary harassment to the exporters.
The action has been taken on complaints from the Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (Reap) and Pakistan Bedwear Exporters Association (PBEA), which had complained that the ANF staff during the checks, tore up the bags of the rice and cartons packed with the textile items.
Sources in the Customs House said on Thursday that the Collectorate told the ANF that 100 percent checks would not only delay the shipments, but also render the goods rejected by the buyers if the packing was not intact. That would adversely hit the exports, which were lifelines for the country's economy, said the collectorate.
It further pointed that the dog sniffing should not be used for checking the rice destined for Saudi Arabia, because it might result in rejection of the cargo by the buyers.
The Collectorate emphasised that while it had no intention to meddle in the functions of other government agencies, but it was incumbent that the checks should be conducted against only suspected consignments or those belonging to the new comers.
Complaining against the ANF drug-checks started from last week, another exporter, Sheikh Farid, said in a message that the export consignments, being shipped to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other Gulf states, were subjected to 100 percent drug-checks.
Such checks, he said, were in addition to the process of dog sniffing and drug checks carried out by the Customs Drug Enforcement Cell (DEC)).
Sheikh Farid said the exporters were being forced to take out the entire consignment from the containers, which caused damages to the goods and its packing, and also resulted in shut out of the consignments inviting claims from the buyers.
He pointed out that "we are about to enter the World Trade Organisation (WTO) regime and such actions will sabotage the efforts to compete in the international market".