Customs seize Indian textile machinery at Karachi Port

October 13, 2025 (MLN): Customs authorities have thwarted an attempt to smuggle banned Indian-origin textile machinery into Pakistan through misdeclaration, seizing equipment valued at over $85,000.

The Collectorate of Customs, Appraisement (West), Karachi, and the Collectorate of Customs Enforcement, Karachi, intercepted a suspicious container at the Karachi International Container Terminal on October 7, 2025.

The container, imported from Jebel Ali, Dubai, by a local textile manufacturer, was declared to contain Chinese-origin textile twisting machines.

However, physical examination revealed the machinery was actually manufactured in India, with deliberate attempts made to conceal its origin.

The breakthrough occurred through FBR's new Risk Management System (RMS 2.0), which is currently being tested at Karachi Port.

The upgraded system generated an alert flagging potential misdeclaration of origin, prompting customs officials to conduct a thorough physical inspection.

"The alert for misdeclaration of origin was generated by the new Risk Management System RMS 2.0 deployed on test run by FBR at Karachi Port," customs officials stated in their report.

Upon inspection, authorities discovered that the manufacturer's plates and specification markings on the textile twisting machine had been deliberately removed or scratched off to hide the equipment's actual origin.

The seized consignment consists of a new textile twisting machine with 576 spindles, complete with standard accessories and essential parts, imported in Semi-Knocked Down (SKD) condition. The assessed value of the machinery is $85,107.

Customs authorities have registered a case of misdeclaration of origin against the importer and initiated legal proceedings.

The incident highlights the growing trend of routing banned Indian goods through transhipment ports like Dubai to circumvent import restrictions.

Officials said the successful detection demonstrates the alertness of customs collectorates against smuggling attempts and validates the effectiveness of the upgraded Risk Management System being developed by the Federal Board of Revenue.

The case indicated Pakistan's ongoing efforts to strengthen border controls and prevent the illegal import of goods from India through third countries.

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