Article of Umair Zahid, Deputy Collector, Collectorate of Appraisement, Port Qasim on the occasion of International Customs Day 2026

In the contemporary global trading system, border vigilance is as critical as trade facilitation. Observing International Customs Day 2026, Pakistan Customs embraces the theme “Customs protecting society through vigilance and commitment,” underscoring the evolving role of Customs in border security and economic governance.

Pakistan Customs plays a central role in facilitating compliant trade while mitigating risks related to smuggling, revenue loss, and transnational crime. With increasing trade volumes and complex supply chains, Customs functions now integrate enforcement, risk management, and national security considerations.

Vigilance is exercised through intelligence-driven targeting, automation, and capacity building, supported by the professional commitment of Customs officers. As Pakistan Customs advances reforms and modernization initiatives, its fundamental objective remains unchanged: protecting society while enabling sustainable economic growth.

From my professional recollection, I will cite very few illustrious examples of yesteryears as apropos of above and fearing requirement of limited wordage. Firstly, is the detection of adulteration of petroleum/diesel with imported solvent compromising not only the quality of petroleum products being used in the transportation but also causing losses to national exchequer in biblical proportions. In this case, Pakistan Customs through enhanced vigilance not only took up the matter with Ministry of Petroleum/Department of Explosives but also through robust enforcement ensured that such consignments are only consumed by industrial manufacturing processes and not fall into the hands of unscrupulous elements adulterating the petroleum products. Similarly, last year, the Enforcement Collectorate, Quetta, amid grave security challenges, made all-out efforts in obstructing the flow of Iranian diesel/petrol from Balochistan to elsewhere in the country by ever-vigilant Customs check posts (with limited resource) spread geographically across Balochistan as well as by harnessing digital means (state-of-the-art central control room getting real-time visibility of vehicles passing through check posts of FC and Customs and by means of relaying otherwise active-information).

The tale of vigilance and commitment is not only limited to thwarting attempts as aforementioned. It even extends to facilitating local industry/legitimate trade of the province mired with impoverishment and lack of infrastructure development for decades. The unscrupulous elements camouflaging smuggled goods in the garb of local manufacturing were identified whereas facilitation was accorded to clearance of goods produced by local manufacturers which to quite an extent altered the notion for many, from subsistence/livelihood solely on smuggling given the grim economic/employability prospects of masses, to focusing on supply chain of legitimate imported goods as well as to imitate the production of goods at local level with indigenous resources.

Secondly, talking of another province sharing turbulent borders with Afghanistan i.e. KPK, major seizures of contrabands involving cigarettes, opium, drugs, and even arms were made at Torkham and Ghulam Khan Customs stations in the concealments of vehicles coming from Afghanistan, with the help of gantry scanners. The scanners also aided Customs in the detection of export of essential commodities which are prohibited in the Export Policy Order owing to the diminishing availability of goods for local consumption and associated domestic pricing instabilities like sugar, flour, lentils, urea.

Thirdly, the round-the-clock alertness exhibited by the operators/supervisory officers of the Directorate of Nuclear Architecture, in-charge of radiation portal monitors (RPMs) and other allied detection equipment, at the airports and sea ports, is a splendid display of not only the ever-increasing technological role of Pakistan Customs towards ameliorating the economy and protecting the society but also is  a conspicuous demonstration of dedication in preventing any transportation of nuclear materials across the national borders. Lastly, lest we should forget is the fact that our Customs officers were honored in 2019 with the Global Montreal Protocol Award for Customs and Enforcement Officers in recognition of their role in combating illegal trade in ozone-depleting substances (thwarting clearance of ozone depleting refrigerant gas R-22, also known as HCFC-22, amounting to 18,000 KG) in line with international environmental protection efforts.

Present & the Future: Today, where almost every profession is being revolutionized by the marvels of artificial intelligence, Customs officers and staff in the Appraisement and enforcement sides arealso making more well-nuanced decisions and risk-profiling by harnessing AI tools. Similarly, the futuristic integration of scanners’ image reading with trader profiling by Directorate of Risk Profiling also making use of AI tools and that of incorporation of AI for enhanced valuation mechanisms by the Directorates of Valuation all are the manifestations of the smart intelligible ways and means of Pakistan Customs protecting society economically ,environmentally and socially , in time of  complex supply chains and challenging trade flux, through enhanced vigilance and sheer commitment; THE ARMORED VIGIL OF PAKISTAN CUSTOMS!

Source: Taxhelpline Team