The All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) has formally warned the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) against the proposed relocation of the Central Appraising Unit (CAU) to Islamabad, citing catastrophic inefficiencies in the current digital clearance framework. In a letter dated October 27, 2026, addressed to FBR Chairman Rashid Mahmood Langrial, APTMA Chairman Asad Shafi detailed how the Faceless Customs Assessment (FCA) system at Karachi has severely disrupted export production and called for an immediate suspension of further rollouts.
FBR’s Own Data Shows Deteriorating Performance Since the introduction of the FCA system on December 15, 2024, under CGO No. 06 of 2024, importers have faced systemic bottlenecks that have fundamentally slowed international trade. According to an internal FBR review committee cited by APTMA, the system’s performance has degraded across all key metrics:
- Average assessment times have surged from 25.6 hours to 40.2 hours.
- The percentage of consignments successfully cleared within 48 hours plummeted from 84 per cent to 70 per cent.
- The financial efficiency of the system dropped, with additional revenue secured at assessment falling from 16 per cent to 13 per cent.
- Review requests jumped from 6 per cent to 14 per cent, referrals to senior officers increased from 6 per cent to 11 per cent, and laboratory referrals nearly doubled.
The FBR committee concluded that assessment quality had not improved and advised against expanding the system pending further review.
Operational Nightmares and Capital Blockage Textile manufacturers report that the current FCA framework is riddled with arbitrary value enhancements, classification disputes, and repeated laboratory testing without any binding timelines for resolution. This has resulted in mounting demurrage and detention charges, ultimately blocking vital working capital. APTMA highlighted that Customs officials frequently reject declared values without adequate justification or the proper application of Section 25 of the Customs Act, 1969.
The shift to a faceless system has also stripped the clearance process of specialist commodity expertise—particularly for textiles, chemicals, and machinery. This denies importers the opportunity to explain complex technical specifications prior to an adverse assessment. Furthermore, persistent outages of the WeBOC and PSW electronic systems have severely delayed the clearance of Export Facilitation Scheme (EFS) consignments.
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Opposition to CAU Relocation APTMA expressed grave concern over the FBR’s proposal to shift the CAU to Islamabad, arguing that the move would severely aggravate the ongoing supply-chain crisis. Karachi manages the overwhelming bulk of Pakistan’s seaborne imports, organically housing the essential examination facilities, laboratories, port terminals, and technical personnel required for efficient clearance operations.
Relocating the CAU risks the loss of highly experienced appraisers, increases operational costs, and fundamentally weakens coordination between assessment, examination, and laboratory staff. The association insists that faceless assessments can easily be maintained through random electronic allocation without physically moving the unit away from the country’s primary commercial hub.
Proposed Solutions and Timelines To rescue the collapsing clearance framework, APTMA has outlined a comprehensive set of demands. The association insists that the CAU must remain in Karachi and that further FCA rollouts be suspended pending an independent review and extensive consultation with trade and industry representatives. It has called for the establishment of a dedicated backlog clearance cell, priority treatment for EFS and export-oriented imports, and the extension of green-channel status to Authorised Economic Operators and compliant importers.
Crucially, APTMA has proposed strict, binding operational timelines to prevent administrative paralysis:
- 24 hours for initial assessment and first review.
- 48 hours for second review.
- 24 hours for physical examination after grounding.
- 72 hours for laboratory results.
- Automatic escalation and provisional release under Section 81 where applicable.
To protect importers from bureaucratic inefficiencies, APTMA urged the FBR to issue automatic delay and detention certificates to waive terminal demurrage charges caused by Customs delays or recorded system outages. The association further requested the restoration of specialist assessment desks for crucial industrial sectors while retaining random allocation, alongside the implementation of electronic video hearings to resolve technical disputes.
To ensure ongoing accountability and transparency, APTMA recommended publishing monthly FCA performance data and conducting an independent, WCO-based Time Release Study. Finally, the association called for the formation of a standing monthly review committee comprising representatives from the FBR, APTMA, the Pakistan Business Council (PBC), various chambers of commerce, and customs agents’ associations to monitor implementation and resolve recurring supply chain bottlenecks.