Pakistan Customs has ordered all Ground Handling Agents to implement fully operational online payment systems within three months at Air Freight Units across Karachi, following a meeting chaired by Hasan Saqib Sheikh, Chief Collector of Customs Airports, convened after the All Pakistan Customs Agents Association announced a formal protest against Ground Handling Agents over their persistent failure to introduce digital payment options despite receiving repeated directions from customs authorities over several preceding years. The directive marks a firm deadline on an issue that has been allowed to drift for far too long, with the absence of digital payments identified as a direct cause of operational losses and excessive storage charges accumulating against importers and customs agents alike.
As an immediate interim measure, all Ground Handling Agents were directed to accept cash payments of up to Rs 300,000 per consignment effective May 16, 2026, with the cash payment threshold introduced to ease pressure on importers while the formal online payment infrastructure is built and tested. Arshad Khurshid, Chairman of the All Pakistan Customs Agents Association, told participants that the absence of digital payments was generating excessive storage charges and operational losses, with trade representatives stating that existing payment delays were directly translating into measurable financial losses for customs agents and the wider business community.
On the digital integration front, Ground Handling Agents were also directed to complete Electronic Data Interchange and gate-out integration with Customs, WeBOC, Pakistan Single Window, and Pakistan Airports Authority within one month, while participants also raised concerns over the current three-day free-storage policy, arguing it was operationally insufficient for cargo clearance, with a proposal to extend the free-storage period from three to five working days received positively and Ground Handling Agents directed to submit a unified proposal within one month in formal consultation with Pakistan Airports Authority and relevant trade stakeholders. The meeting also addressed non-availability of advance Import General Manifests, incorrect flight data feeding, and unnecessary documentation demands at cargo delivery points, signalling a broader effort to clean up operational inefficiencies across the air freight clearance chain. National Bank of Pakistan was instructed to extend banking hours at the Air Freight Unit booth to 6:30 PM within 30 days and to fast-track installation of an automated teller machine facility, while Chief Collector Hasan Saqib Sheikh also informed participants that amendments to Customs Rules 2001 are currently under consideration to improve Ground Handling Agent operations and legal clarity, with proposed changes potentially introducing formal licensing of Ground Handling Agents for a defined period subject to renewal based on performance, compliance records, and operational efficiency standards.
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