PESHAWAR
A grand ceremony was held at Custom House Peshawar on Wednesday to mark International Customs Day. Chairman Federal Board of Revenue, Dr. Ashfaq Ahmed, was the chief guest on the occasion.
Chairman FBR laid a wreath at the Shuhada memorial and unveiled the new customs logo and motto. Chief Collector Customs KP Ahmad Raza Khan also accompanied him as he received the Guard of Honour.
Addressing the event, Dr. Ashfaq Ahmed said that Customs Department is the protector of economic borders of the country and the acquisition of modern digitization technology would increase the revenue of the country.
He said that the use of modern technology would not only help stabilize prices but also the foreign exchange rates. It will also help in curbing smuggling.
He said that digitization, strengthening and updating of records of individual financial activities, reliable and updated databanks, trade lens, risk management and passenger data are of great important in the functioning of customs.
He said that by adopting a data culture, creating a data ecosystem and accelerating the pace of digital transformation in the system, the efficiency of customs could be significantly improved.
The transit trade partnerships with Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and other countries is a testament to the unflinching support of the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance.
In his address, Chief Collector Customs KPK Ahmad Raza Khan said that WeBOC established in 2016 made possible the speedy clearance within 24 hours.
At the same time, due to geotagging and paperless data culture, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Customs has exceeded its target by 52% which is 62% more than that achieved for the same period of six months during the last year.
At the end, the chief guest distributed certificates amongst the customs officials for their outstanding performance.
