KARACHI, FEB 23: Atif Ikram Sheikh, President FPCCI, has hailed the vision of the Honorable Prime Minister of Pakistan regarding his digital transformation plan to facilitate trade in Pakistan; including, the implementation of faceless assessment and the pre-arrival facility through the post-payment mechanism.
Mr. Atif Ikram Sheikh highlighted, that despite these improvements, challenges still persist in the regulatory sphere of imports and exports; whereas, majority of regulatory trade is being managed through Pakistan Single Window (PSW) and major Other Government Agencies (OGAs) have been integrated with PSW, consignments are still being cleared only after mandatory inspections unnecessarily.
Mr. Atif Ikram Sheikh strongly proposed that the Risk Management Systems (RMS) of the Department of Plant Protection (DPP); Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) and other relevant OGAs should be activated on the pattern of customs. The implementation of RMS by these government departments can further streamline import and export processes; reduce unnecessary inspections; minimize dwell time and enhance ease of doing business in Pakistan.
Mr. Saquib Fayyaz Magoon, SVP FPCCI, maintained that initially several challenges and teething problems were faced when the faceless assessment system was deployed – however, after the posting of Chief Collector Mr. Wajid Ali and his continuous consultation with the trade and industry, a number of genuine issues have been addressed eventually. The faceless assessment process is now significantly, effectively benefiting trade and industry – and, the dwell time of consignments is gradually reducing as well, he added.
FPCCI reiterates its whole-hearted commitment and willingness to engage in the consultative process with the authorities and government departments to ensure smooth, fair, transparent and efficient trade facilitation mechanisms in the country.
