Karachi Port: APPMA seeks action over GD clearance delays

The All Pakistan Paper Merchants Association has asked the FBR and Customs to act quickly on long delays in clearing Goods Declarations at Karachi Port. According to a statement issued on Tuesday, repeated scanning, physical checks and laboratory tests are causing large avoidable losses for importers. The association said some legitimate consignments are taking more than 10 days to clear.

APPMA stated that identical consignments from the same overseas mill, belonging to importers with an established record, are repeatedly scanned and tested without any specific risk being identified. It cited Section 80B of the Customs Act-1969, which provides for a risk management system, and Section 81, which allows provisional determination of liability while laboratory reports are awaited. Such delays raise demurrage, detention and storage charges, tie up working capital and add to port congestion, which the association said ultimately pushes up the cost of imported raw materials for industry and consumers.

The association has urged the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry to take the matter up with the FBR Chairman and Member Customs. Its demands include faster clearance for compliant imports, an end to repeated testing of identical consignments without lawful grounds, and recorded reasons for abnormal delays. Business Recorder reported that APPMA also wants responsibility fixed for avoidable delays, along with monitoring of GDs pending beyond a reasonable period.