The Kamil Museum of Customs

The Kamil Museum of Customs

In earlier part 19th century the British India tax collection system as for as commodity taxes concerned were governed by many regulations and some enactments.

Prior to Salt Act 1873, the Salt Akbari and Customs Departments were together. The administration of the Salt department in the Bombay Presidency was transferred to the Collectors of Salt Revenue a post created under Bombay Presidency Salt Act, 1873. Came under the administration of Central Excise and Salt Northern Eastern India under administrative control of a Collector. The administration of Central Excise ,Bombay was transferred to the Collector Of Salt Revenue with effect from 1st April,1938.

When, in 1874, the crown took over control of the Government of India from the British East India Company, the necessity of enacting a Sea Customs Act was felt. Accordingly, Sea Customs Act was enacted in 1878. Consequently, different logos were designed and commissioned to represent the different wings of the department. As a result thereof, Customs logo, Customs treasury logo and Customs Marine logo came into being. This logo is a replica of the Customs Marine logo which was found fixed at the Customs Marine and Boat House located at Keamari harbor.

While collecting past memories and records of Preventive Service of this Custom House, Karachi, it gives us immense pleasure to note that Mr. T. M. O’Reilly was the first gentlemen who joined Custom House, Karachi as the first Preventive Officer in the year 1887. He had contributed alongwith his other colleagues to lay foundation stone of the Preventive Service Club in 1916, in the vicinity of Keamari, Karachi. He was elected as the founder Secretary of the Club. Subsequently he had been elected as Secretary for 17 consecutive years i.e. upto 1933. Thereafter, his son of law (Mr. P.A. Mortimer) succeeded him as he was elected as 2nd Secretary of the Club.

The Club attributed vigorously in social activities and with special reference to sports and earned a good reputation in these fields by participating in the International Tennis Tournament held in 1918 and in Olympic Hockey Matches held in 1928.

We may place on record that we have produced as many as 60 colleagues having title of Olympics. Moreover, so far this Club has produced nearly 1000 internationally recognized / renowned players.

Ah, when we go in the past, we feel that we are missing our founder Secretary and his family and other members of club. No matter we have established a Museum in the old Custom House premises where many old collected memories have been displayed for our successors to remember their ancestors’ and we have only one great officer Mr. T. M. O’Reilly who is the founder of Preventive Service Club. We are struggling hard to collect more information about his life and contributions so as to high light their selfless services rendered for promoting the service of the Club. All these documents will be kept in the Museum so that the gentries visiting the Museum may know about the works done by officers of Customs Preventive Service.

In this context we would like to request you to kindly provide us more details about his life, contributions and activities for displaying it in a befitting manner and in a distinctive graceful manner in the Museum.

We hope you will be pleased to consider our request and send the requisite material. We shall always praise for your assistance.

With Best Regards,
Kamil Hassan, Inspector Preventive Service,
21st Secretary Club,
Founder of “The Kamil Museum of Customs”.

Toward Modernization & More

Like many other Customs Administrations in the world, Pakistan Customs is pursuing a broad-based reforms strategy through a careful re-assessment of its role and objectives and by aligning of its operational ethos with the prevalent international standards. The two fundamentals planks of the reforms strategy are the simplification of its business processes and automation of cargo clearance procedures at all national ports. This has materialized with the inception of the Pakistan Automated Customs Clearance System abbreviated as PACCS.

PACCS is the centerpiece of Pakistan Customs’ modernization drive, a comprehensive automated solution to the multi-faceted challenges of trade facilitation and security. It represents a complete break from the past and the connotations associated with it. The ideational basis of PACCS is firmly rooted in the present and based on a clear vision of the future.

PACCS remains to date a unique national experience in terms of providing a unified electronic platform to a diverse array of stakeholders in the commercial supply chain, such as traders, customs brokers, shipping agents, carriers, government agencies and banks on the one end, and all national Customs establishments and Inland Revenue outfits on the other. The preeminent features of PACCS include electronic processing of imports and exports, from filing of goods declaration to on-line payment of duties and taxes to clearance or transshipment of cargo. The system covers all Customs operations, and inheres such advance features as pre-arrival clearance of goods and 24x7 operations, which significantly reduced Customs clearance time and improved logistics efficiency.

After successfully launching PACCS in 2005 at one sea-terminal in Karachi. Pakistan Customs has now brought the entire sweep of Customs maritime operations within the fold of automation, thus achieving a major milestone in that process.

With the success of PACCS, Pakistan Customs is now set to introduce an even more ambitious and comprehensive model of Customs automation, which would serve as a single unified platform to the trade community for domestic commerce and international trade. The system, also named as Pakistan Automated Commercial Community System, will provide a strong foundation for electronic commerce in the country, besides linking up trade and Customs in the process. The system is likely to be operational by 2009.

In Sync With Present & Future

Today, Pakistan Customs is major player in national economic growth by virtue of its commitment to provide a fiscal and procedural environment, which underpins and sustains enhanced trade in the country, and facilitates flow of goods across national borders. It is equally committed to protecting the national polity against the threats which need to be countered in that process. In so doing, it is striving to achieve the highest standards of professional service and excellence.