SCCI president raises customs facilitation issues

SIALKOT, Oct 14 (DNA):Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) President Khawar Hussain Spall

highlighted key operational challenges faced by Sialkot’s export-oriented business

community during a meeting with Naveed Elahi, Chief Collector (Appraisement),

Punjab, at SCCI.

The meeting was attended by Syed Ali Abbas Gardezi, Collector of Customs, Sialkot, and other

Customs officers.

The president specifically raised the need to facilitate multiple financial instruments against a

single import Goods Declaration (GD) in line with actual international payment arrangements,

establish a procedure for de-stuffing or transferring imported goods before filing

the Bill of Entry, where permissible, to avoid unnecessary container detention and demurrage,

expedite HS Code approvals to prevent clearance delays and additional costs, introduce

transparent, online processing and tracking of Export Facilitation Scheme (EFS) applications, HS Code-related matters and quota enhancement requests, resolve delays in duty drawback payments, which constrain exporters’ working capital and to adopt a facilitative approach to EFS stock-taking, allowing genuine documentation discrepancies to be corrected where the law permits, rather than resorting immediately to penalties or enforcement action.

Responding to the concerns, Naveed Elahi reaffirmed that Customs has an important role in facilitating

trade and exports, particularly in Sialkot, which he acknowledged as a key contributor to Pakistan’s

exports.

He noted that Sialkot has approximately 600 EFS users and stated that issues falling within the department’s authority would be pursued, while matters requiring policy-level decisions would be referred to the relevant forums.

The chief collector highlighted the existing pre-clearance facility, under which importers can file their

GD before a container arrives, potentially helping resolve documentation issues earlier. He also supported improved online monitoring of EFS applications so applicants can track their status and delays at different processing levels.

Regarding pending duty drawback claims, he undertook to coordinate with the Collector and relevant authorities to pursue outstanding cases. On EFS stock-taking, he emphasized compliance with the law while assuring a facilitative approach and seeking to avoid unnecessary harassment of compliant businesses.

The meeting was attended by Asad Naseer Malik, Senior Vice President SCCI, Vice President Chaudhry Jahangir Rashid and the business community.

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