QUETTA: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has directed the customs authorities not to stop and check trucks carrying fresh and dried fruits to other provinces from Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

“The vehicles loaded with fresh and dried fruits should not be stopped at the check-posts,” the FBR directive said, adding that customs mobile squads should also not check vehicles carrying fresh and dried fruits for which customs duty had already been paid.

However, freight vehicles with verified information will be stopped for checking.

The FBR warned the officials who unnecessarily intercept vehicles carrying fresh / dried fruits of departmental action.

The Balochistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry had recently complained that freight vehicles were being stopped unnecessarily at various check-posts by customs mobile squads despite paying customs duty.

The FBR had issued instructions on various occasions to put an end to such activities as these could cause difficulties to traders.

It said checking of freight vehicles should be conducted only on the basis of information verified by the customs collector,

Meanwhile, President Fida Hussain Dashti, Senior Vice President Mohammad Ayub Mariani, Vice President Amjad Ali Siddiqui of the Balochistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry welcomed the FBR’s orders and said the step would help boost fresh and dried fruit trade.

They said this was a long-standing demand of businessmen. “We are grateful to the FBR officials for issuing these orders,” they said.

Published in Dawn, December 4th, 2021