ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Finance has directed the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to immediately confiscate foreign number-plate vehicles, which Arab/ UAE dignitaries temporarily imported during hunting seasons, but now plying in the country.

The issue of misuse of the vehicles imported by Arab dignitaries was discussed threadbare during the review of the amendments proposed in the Pakistan Customs Tariff (PCT) for 2023-24.

The committee rejected exemption on the import of plant machinery for setting up industry in erstwhile tribal areas and proposed confiscation of vehicles gifted by Arabs during their visits to Pakistan for hunting.

Chairman of the committee Senator Saleem Mandviwalla restated that the vehicles temporarily imported by the Arab dignitaries are not re-exported back to their respective countries. Even people bring these vehicles within the premises of the Parliament.

These vehicles are gifted to the Pakistanis and they continued to use the vehicles with the same foreign number-plates. Local police are also afraid to take action against drivers of such vehicles on the assumption that some powerful person might be the owner of these vehicles.

"Suck kind of act cannot be committed across the world, but this is only happening in Pakistan. Go and try to drive a Pakistani number-plate vehicle in the USA. You will see that the USA will never allow such an act,” Mandviwalla added.

Officials of the Ministry of Commerce and the FBR defended that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs gives them a time period for hunting season. The procedure has been further tightened to check any misuse of the facility. In this regard, the government gives special permission for the temporary import of vehicles which is further extended. The overstayed vehicles are confiscated, as well.

Responding to this, the chairman of the committee stated that the temporarily imported foreign vehicles have never been confiscated by any agency/ department.

The FBR Member Customs (Policy) specified that a detailed procedure has been given in Chapter-99 of the Pakistan Customs Tariff for the disposal of such vehicles.

Under Chapter 99 of the PCT, the import by dignitaries of UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia has been allowed. Household articles and personal effects including vehicles and goods for donation to projects established in Pakistan, imported by the rulers and following dignitaries of UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia subject to the conditions mentioned in the sub-chapter notes.

As per law, a complete list of all vehicles showing name of the owner, details of imports and present custodian, etc., shall be provided by UAE/ Qatar/ Bahrain/ Saudi Arabia Ambassador. The list shall be updated every six months, i.e., on July 31, and January 31, to show status as on the 1st July and 1st January.

Second, the UAE/ Qatar/ Bahrain/ Saudi Arabia rulers must make and disclose alternate arrangements for the maintenance of their fleet by their employees and not by any Pakistani posing as their agents or authorised representatives.

Third, the UAE/ Qatar/ Bahrain/ Saudi Arabia Embassy should undertake that no Pakistani will be allowed use of their duty-free vehicles and that they will abide by the true spirit in which this concession is available to the UAE/ Qatar/ Bahrain rulers.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023