March 26, 2003	Wednesday	Muharram 22, 1424

KARACHI, March 25: The ‘go-slow’ at ports by customs staff is adversely affecting the external trade (import-exports), exporters said.

The customs staff is protesting against the arrest of their colleagues by the FIA. This agency has arrested recently two customs officials on corruption charges after which the appraisement staff of customs collectorate went on token strike last Thursday.

In order to press upon their demand for the release and withdrawal of cases against the two officials — appraiser and treasury officer — the customs staff began daily two hours strike with one hour increase on each passing day.

Consequently, the customs staff posted at three customs posts in the city located at the Karachi Port, Port Qasim and Air Freight Unit (AFU) did not process import/export documents during these hours which hampered the clearance of consignments and causing long delays.

The situation has now taken an ugly shape as the customs staff on Tuesday have called for total strike on Thursday, which will result in complete shut-down of clearing work at all the three customs posts of the city, including major post of customs at Karachi Port.

“We are already faced with Iraq war crisis and are working day and night to ensure timely shipment of our goods from our end but the dispute between the FIA and customs staff over the detention of their colleagues is causing great hardship for us to ensure prompt shipments,” lamented Fawad Ijaz Khan, chairman Pakistan Ready-made Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (Prgmea).

He questioned the attitude of the high-ups and said that even after lapse of five days there was no intervention from Islamabad, whereas importers as well as exporters were suffering for no fault on their part.

Fawad Ijaz urged the government to immediately take action either by directing the FIA to release the detained customs officials or should bring the customs under essential services rule so that country’s trade do not suffer on such petty issues.

However, a spokesman of the customs appraisement collectorate told Dawn that despite the fact that the staff was daily observing token strike for the last five days but shipping documents were being cleared on daily basis. He further said that customs staff worked beyond working hours in order to clear the back-log of that particular day and there was no leftover for next day.

The official said that the FIA was harassing customs staff by levelling such charges which did not fall under Customs Act and were related to other rules. He complained that the FIA did not take CBR high-ups into confidence before taking action against the customs staff.

He said that the mala fide intention of the FIA could well be judged from the fact that cases relating to last so many years were being reopened up against the customs staff and all this was being done at the cost of national economy.