ISLAMABAD: Acknowledging the importance of digitization at trade locations, the Customs Department is embracing the electronic technologies that are likely to successfully address the cross-border trade difficulties, Sania Rasool, Deputy Collector at the Pakistan Customs, told WealthPK.
She stated that the Customs Department was constantly working on a ‘digitalization program’ that included establishing a structured digital data governance system, standardizing data exchange procedures, improving data protection regulations, and promoting evidence-based decision-making to benefit all stakeholders in the trade.
The Customs Department is working closely with relevant departments and ministries such as the Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA), the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, and the Trade and Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) to improve collaboration, which will ultimately benefit trade.
In this context, the deputy collector detailed a few ongoing Customs Department activities.
Currently, the Integrated Transit Trade Management System (ITTMS) is operational at three Border Crossing Points (BCPs): Torkham, Chaman, and Wahga. This program is part of the CAREC-RIBS Program, which is financially funded by the Asian Development Bank. The Customs Wing of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) serves as the primary executing agency.
She emphasized the importance of single window operations, citing the formation of Pakistan Single Window (PSW), which was aimed to provide seamless trading possibilities for all key parties.
“The PSW delivers a robust and durable digital environment that includes blockchain technology. This strategy attempts to strengthen a digital data culture by recording digital data trends. Its purpose is to promote transparency and data-driven solutions to allow for the smooth flow of legal trade.
Furthermore, she stated that the PSW was using effective digital data analysis of cross-border trade activities to build controls against concerns such as Trade-Based Money Laundering (TBML) and smuggling of commodities.
Sania Rasool stressed the importance of exchanging trade-related data with both trading partners and private parties.
“The digitization process will not just facilitate the sharing of data with our trading partners but also furnish valuable information with the potential private investors contemplating entry into the cross-border trade”.
