KARACHI: Collector of Model Collectorate of Customs Preventive Dr Saifuddin Junejo has said that the passengers facilitation services at the Jinnah International Airport Karachi are being improved and it would be made at par with the Heathrow Airport, London.
In an interview with Customs Today, the collector said his collectorate was being fully assisted by the British authorities aimed at improving facilities at the Karachi airport.
In this regard, the Pakistan Customs has nominated a senior officer who has got training from the British authorities and the department is working to implement the model on the basis of working papers.
Moreover, a committee has been constituted comprising senior officers of the MCC Preventive to ensure proper implementation on the model, the collector said.
“The work on to introduce Advanced Passengers Information in a bid to maintain passengers’ data and to contain human trafficking and anti-social activities at the airports”, he added.
Junejo said: “the paper work of the plan has been worked out and it would hopefully be materialized very soon. Initially, the passengers profiling would be started with Emirates Airlines and the PIA and it would be expanded to other airlines at later stages.”
The profiling of passengers would help identify the risky passengers, maintain database of frequent travelers so as to maintain a vigil on the anti-social elements.
While sharing his vision to further enhance performance of the Preventive Collector he said that the special emphasis were being paid on to control and stop the smuggling activities and the Preventive is doing its best in this connection.
“With continued efforts of the Anti-Smuggling Organization (ASO) of the collectorate the smugglers have changed their strategy and now they are using sea route for smuggling of contrabands and petroleum products following strict vigilance on roads”.
In the previous days, the ASO of for the first time has foiled a bid to smuggle huge quantity of Iranian diesel concealed in secret cavities of a ship near in open sea. Though, the customs has almost controlled the smuggling of all items by roads, now the smugglers have shifted the means of transport.
“The ASO made a seizure of 26,500 liters of smuggled/non-duty paid Iranian diesel along with wooden boat/launch and seizures of contraband goods, electronics goods, household items, cigarettes and other merchandise goods by Anti Smuggling Organization (ASO) of Model Collectorate of Customs (Preventive), Custom House, worth millions of rupees”, the collector added.
“The staff of ASO has effected a seizure of 26,500 liters smuggled/non duty paid Iranian diesel along with a wooden boat named Al Nasiri during an operation in the sea near the coast of Karachi. This result oriented operation was launched pursuant to a secret information to the effect that a wooden fishing boat having fitted with specially designed tanks would be used for transportation of Iranian diesel from coast of Pushikan, Iran to Karachi”, Dr Saifuddin Juenjo said.
While elaborating further, he said that during last three months 5,540 mobiles phones seized, 205 kgs of charas, 1753192 pouches of contrabands, 37 bottles of liquor, 47,569 yards of clothes, 15,567 boxes of cigarettes, 4 smuggled vehicles, 907 electronic goods, 167,265 liters of POL, 1451 household goods, 2 boats, 29,681 cosmetic, perfumes and toiletries, 260 tyres and tubes, 8,297 crockery, 29,000 tablets/medicines, 2,169 kilograms of tea etc.