PM orders third-party audit of customs bonded warehouses

August 12, 2026 (MLN): Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed relevant authorities to conduct a comprehensive third-party audit of customs bonded warehouses covering the last three years.

He warned that negligent officials and those involved in irregularities would face swift legal action.

Chairing a review meeting on matters pertaining to the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), the prime minister said there was no room for any irregularity in customs bonded warehouses and directed that strict legal action be taken against officials found involved in irregularities or illegal activities.

The meeting was attended by federal ministers Azam Nazeer Tarar, Ahad Khan Cheema, Musadik Malik, Muhammad Aurangzeb, Attaullah Tarar, Ali Pervaiz Malik and Shaza Fatima, Advisor to the PM Haroon Akhtar, MNA Usman Awaisi, Governor State Bank of Pakistan Jameel Ahmad, and other senior government officials, APP reported.

During the briefing on customs bonded warehouses and inland revenue enforcement, participants were informed that cargo related to petroleum products in customs warehouses is linked with the Web-Based One Customs (WeBOC) system.

It was highlighted that bonded trade accounts for 16.5% of the country's total imports, and that as per the prime minister's instructions, a countrywide physical stock verification of customs-bonded warehouses would be carried out.

The authorities concerned informed the meeting that comprehensive measures were being taken to ensure proper licensing and security of customs-bonded warehouses, adding that valuation testing would be conducted and information technology systems reviewed as part of steps already under way to eliminate irregularities in the system.

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