Peshawar: On the eve of the International Customs Day, celebrations were held at the Customs House Peshawar amid presence of Consul Generals of friendly countries in addition to senior military and civil officers on Friday.
Chairman Federal Board of Revenue Malik Amjed Zubair Tiwana graced the occasion as the chief guest. Representatives of chambers, clearing agents and other trade bodies were also present. The ceremony commenced with the Chairman FBR laying floral wreath at the Martyrs’ Monument. Afterwards, the Chairman inspected the Parade which was followed by hoisting of National and Customs Flag.
In his speech, the Chairman FBR appreciated the performance of KP Customs both in terms of Anti- smuggling activities and revenue collection in the first half of the current financial year and hoped that the momentum will continue in coming months.
He appreciated the role of Customs in challenging environment and its efforts to keep abreast of changing trade and enforcement dynamics across the globe. He highlighted that the regional and global trade has opened new avenues for connectivity and partnerships with trade partners and government agencies. Transit trade, TIR, Carnet are just a few examples of beyond border linkages.
These challenges and opportunities demand a robust regime of collaboration with different stakeholders.International Customs Day is celebrated every year to commemorate the inaugural session of the Customs Co-operation Council (CCC) which was held on 26th January, 1953. The Council was established on 4th November, 1952 with 17 founding Members.
In 1994, the CCC adopted the working name, World Customs Organization (WCO), to more accurately reflect its growth in membership. Each year the World Customs Organization (WCO) comes up with a unique theme to commemorate the event.
For the current year the theme is “Customs Engaging Traditional and New Partners with Purpose”.Earlier, Mr. Saeed Akram, Chief Collector of Customs, in his welcome speech highlighted the achievements of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Customs and sacrifices made by the staff. He informed that till date 30 officers and soldiers of KP Customs have embraced martyrdom in the line of duty.In the end, meritorious certificates were distributed amongst the staff who had rendered exceptional services during the year.
