Farzana Ali Khan
ISLAMABAD: Referring to the theme “Customs bolstering Recovery, Renewal and Resilience for a sustainable supply chain”, set by the World Customs Organization (WCO) for 2021,Junaid Jalil Khan, the Collector, MCC, Islamabad highlighted the recent achievements of Pakistan Customs in pursuance of the set theme for this year, particularly after the challenges posed by spread of corona virus. Marking the International Customs Day on 26th January, a small ceremony was held in Model Customs Collectorate, Islamabad in view of precautionary measures of Covid-19. Chairman FBR Muhammad Javed Ghani graced the occasion as a Chief Guest.In a welcome note to the chief guest, the Chief Collector (North) Junaid Jalil Khan highlighted that it was quite onerous for Pakistan Customs to chase the desired milestones owing to the interruptions created by COVID-19 however, all these targets were accomplished due to inspirational leadership of the current chairman.Chairman FBR, Muhammad Javed Ghani, stated that the WCO’s theme is both in line with the policies, that have been laid down by the government of Pakistan and fully compatible with the initiatives already undertaken by the FBR and Pakistan Customs. He took into account various initiatives undertaken by Pakistan Customs not only to keep the supply chain intact but also to accelerate the same. He further highlighted that such initiatives have kept Pakistan at a stable economic pedestal as compared with other regional countries. The chairman particularly referred to the great sacrifice of life rendered by the officers and officials in the line of duty and paid tributes to them. The other participants included Syed Hamid Ali, Member (Customs-Policy), Dr. Asif Mahmood Jah (Chief Collector, North) and other officers / officials of Pakistan Customs Service.In the end, Certificates of Merit were distributed amongst the officers who performed well during the last year.