World Customs Day is observed today (26 January) all over the world, including Pakistan, with the aim of raising awareness to make the cross-border trade environment transparent, more sustainable and secure.
Customs
Customs is the organization in a country responsible for accumulating tariffs, controls the flow of goods into and out of the country. These goods can be anything from currency to animals, hazardous materials to personal items.
The World Customs organization assists make customs administrations across the globe more proficient and vigil against illegal trade activities. The main headquarter in Brussels, the organization consists of more than 180 members from all over the globe. Three-sections of the members are from developing countries. They are accountable and responsible for managing over 99% of world trade.
Their key mission is to stop illegal trade provide leadership, guidance, and maintain a suitable environment for customs management and officials. The members of the organization also believe that customs assistance to meet the social, economic and environmental requirements across the globe.
International Customs Day in Pakistan
Regardless of facing obstacles and challenges, Pakistan Customs continued its endeavors to promote legal trade for increasing revenues of the country. Pakistan Customs was playing an essential role in accumulating state revenues, stopping drug smuggling and supporting legal trade throughout the country.
World customs day was celebrated at the Directorate Training Karachi and the Custom House Islamabad by the customs officials on Tuesday. World Customs Day was celebrated with a commitment to make the cross-border trade environment more transparent, sustainable and secure.
Addressing the events customs officials said that Pakistan Customs was playing an essential role in the economic and environmental development of the country. Customs, along with other trading companies, have contributed to economic growth. New initiatives such as V-Book Glue and Single Window have also been introduced.
The officials highlighting the role of Pakistan customs in the protection of society, unlawful movement of weapons of mass destruction and organized cross-border crimes and illegal activities of trade posed a major threat to the world community.
Improvement in cross-border trade index
The good news this month is that Pakistan has moved from 136th to 108th position in the World Bank’s cross-border trade index. However, Pakistan lags behind India and Sri Lanka in terms of ease of doing business.
If we look at other countries, Bhutan is 89th, Nepal is 94th, Sri Lanka is 99th and Bangladesh is 168th in the index. The important point is that the World Bank says that Pakistan is among the 10 countries that are rapidly improving in three or more areas in terms of business.
Performance report
In 2020, customs intelligence officials prepared a performance report according to which a total of Rs 2.67 billion worth of goods were seized last year. A total of 133 operations were conducted. During December 2020, there were 26 cases in which goods worth Rs. 464.5 million were seized. The Enforcement Branch received Rs 2.94 billion in 31 cases in 2020.
In 2019, the Enforcement Branch had collected Rs 1.22 billion in 28 cases. The ASO team under the supervision of Additional Director Farid Hussain handled 50 cases in which Rs 325 million was recovered and the smuggled goods were confiscated.
Need to secure cross-border business environment
The fact is that large-scale global trafficking and drug trafficking have not been curbed, for which other government agencies, including customs officials, appear to be working.
Illegal trade brings about risks to the country’s economic expansion and sustainable development. The illegal business and illicit markets are providing not only a safe asylum and exploitable sanctuaries for unlawful forces but also illicit liquidity for corrupt politicians and government officials.
Consequently, illegitimate trade and the spacious accessibility of illicit liquidity stop fair and open markets from reaching their full economic potential and threaten state sovereignty.
To end this, customs requires identifying and understanding the key international, regional and national strategic drivers, the nature of illicit trade, and ways in which such trade is conducted. There is a need to improve the cross-border trade environment so that a new era of development and prosperity can begin in Pakistan.
It is also essential to promote innovative technologies and new partnerships and bring about greater reforms in the policies and strategies of customs to tackle several issues being faced by the customs officials.
