Key points
- Customs seizes twisting machine of Indian origin at Karachi port
- Importer declared it as Chinese shipment routed via Dubai
- RMS 2.0 flagged the consignment for inspection
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Customs has seized a shipment of Indian-origin textile machinery that was mislabeled as Chinese equipment and imported via Dubai, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) said in an official statement.
The interception was made at the Karachi International Container Terminal (KICT) after the consignment was flagged by the newly introduced Risk Management System (RMS) 2.0, currently being piloted at major ports. According to the FBR, the importer had declared the cargo as a Chinese textile twisting machine. However, examination revealed it was manufactured in India, a country from which commercial imports remain suspended.
The goods were imported from Jebel Ali, United Arab Emirates, under Goods Declaration No. KAPW-HC-62256, dated October 7, 2025, the Press Information Department (PID) confirmed in a press release.
According to the Customs officials, the shipment comprises a new textile twisting machine with 576 spindles, imported in semi-knocked-down (SKD) condition, along with standard accessories and essential parts.
Upon inspection, the machine’s manufacturer nameplates and identification markings had been removed or scratched, apparently to obscure its origin. “The deliberate concealment of origin was a clear attempt to bypass import restrictions,” the PID statement said, adding that the machinery carried an assessable value of US$85,107.
Officials have initiated legal proceedings against the importer under relevant provisions of the Customs Act for misdeclaration of origin and attempt to import banned goods, the FBR said.
The seizure is being viewed as a test case for the RMS 2.0 detection mechanism, which uses data analytics and machine learning to identify high-risk consignments. A senior FBR official, quoted by ProPakistani on Tuesday, said that the system is already helping intercept “sensitive and high-value imports concealed under fraudulent documentation.”
Pakistan maintains a ban on Indian imports following the suspension of bilateral trade in 2019 after New Delhi revoked the special constitutional status of Jammu and Kashmir. Since then, customs authorities have increased scrutiny of shipments routed through third-party hubs, such as Dubai and Singapore, where goods of Indian origin are sometimes repackaged or relabeled to conceal their origin.
Trade analysts told Business Recorder that such seizures highlight both the ongoing risk of trade evasion and the effectiveness of Pakistan’s new customs intelligence systems. They said similar mislabeling attempts have been detected in recent years in pharmaceutical and automotive parts imports, although this is among the first recorded in the textile machinery segment.
The FBR said that investigations are ongoing to trace the supply chain and determine whether other consignments of similar origin have entered the country undetected.
