In compliance with the directions of Prime Minister Imran Khan, around 54 additional Customs personnel including superintendents, appraisers, inspectors and other supporting staff have been deployed at Model Customs Collectorate of Appraisement Peshawar for Torkham border to facilitate trade with Afghanistan.
The staff deputed for functionalising the customs operations at Torkham border 24/7 to facilitate the trade with Afghanistan, said a press statement issued here on Sunday. According to the statement, although the customs formations are badly short in strength and request for creation of different posts under consideration of finance department, however, in order to give compliance to directives of PM's Adviser on Establishment, and urgent need for expansion of the operations at Torkham, the member (customs operations) has made all efforts and withdrawn customs staff for deployment in order to facilitate and expand the trade a Torkham.
The statement said the Customs clearance will be managed in three shifts. The day and night custom operations will facilitate the import and export at Torkham leading to significant reduction in transport charges and fast movement of trade.
As a prelude the customs operations, it further added, have already been expanded starting from 7am till 9pm, for the past two months. The senior customs hierarchy have paid visit to Torkham to ensure launch of these operations in coming days.
According to the statement, the connecting requirements for equipment's and support apparatus are being placed on ground through the cooperation of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government. The said operations for round the clock are going to be started shortly for which formal ceremony will be take place in the presence of federal government high-ups and FBR administration.
Adviser to Prime Minister on Establishment matters, Arbab Shahzad had convened a meeting to address the matter on war footing, according to Dr Jawwad Uwais Agha, member customs (operations).
The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) had deployed a large number of customs personnel to cater the urgent requirements at Torkham customs. While elaborating FBR seriousness, FBR chairman Syed Shabbar Zaidi said the exports and transit to Afghanistan bear much promise for expansion of customs operations at Torkham and the customs department being the premier agency has put its team in place to brace up to this situation.
Chairman further informed that around 12 thousand passengers to traverse across this border station daily and their facilitation and baggage clearance is an area being addressed by the Customs, besides around 300 empty containers (after offloading their cargo to Afghanistan) are also sent back daily from the Afghan side.