Agility staff vacates customs office

Staff employed by Agility vacates their offices at the Customs department.

KARACHI: Staff employed by Agility, the Kuwait-based software firm that was responsible for the maintenance of Pakistan Automated Customs Clearing System (PaCCS), vacated their offices at the Customs department on Wednesday.

“All the staff of the company that was deployed at Pakistan Customs in the Karachi office has been recalled and they will not be attending from tomorrow (Thursday),” confirmed a company representative, while talking to The Express Tribune.

He also revealed that the software would be “shut down some time before Thursday morning, halting the availability of automated container clearing services to stakeholders throughout the country.”

Company officials have also asserted that Agility will soon file a suit against Pakistan Customs and other relevant authorities for the recovery of more than $130,000, which the company invested in software development and maintenance since its introduction in 2007.

The company had earlier given an ultimatum to the Customs officials to resume negotiations on the full-scale implementation of the software before February 28; however, the deadline passed without warranting any substantial response from local authorities.

Earlier, Finance Minister Hafeez Shaikh had instructed the Federal Board of Revenue to hold consultations with the company to resolve outstanding differences but his advice was not taken up. Numerous attempts to reach relevant office-bearers have yielded no response so far.

Stakeholders, including customs agents, importers, and exporters have expressed concern over the halting of the one-window operation that eliminated direct contact between customs officials and stakeholders.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 3^rd, 2011.