Islamabad, 6 May, 2025: A large stock of 10000 mobile phones confiscated at numerous airports in Pakistan is lying unsold due to the PTA’s delays in granting the necessary clearances.
The smartphones confiscated from the airports in Karachi, Lahore, Multan, and Faisalabad cannot be auctioned or activated until they are whitelisted in the Device Registration Identification and Blocking System (DIRBS) managed by PTA.
Officials from Pakistan Customs have pointed out that, despite a number of formal communications, the PTA has failed to undertake any actions to commence the clearances.
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Millions in Revenue Held Up
Authorities opine that the foreseen delay is blocking the generation of potentially millions in rupees of income for the government.
The extended inaction is also causing high-end smartphones such as Apple iPhones and Samsung Galaxy models to depreciate with every passing day.
Custom officials are of the opinion that PTA can ease the clearance of seized phones by installing a digital system which would operate on the “one touch” concept.
They further argue that better coordination and cooperation between the two agencies will usher in swift whitelisting devoid of similar hold-ups in the future.
Dispute Regarding Official Queries
Contradicting statements from the Customs Department and PTA highlight the operational inefficiencies plaguing this institution.
As per Customs, multiple lists have been submitted, yet a telecom authority’s spokesperson has been quoted saying no official request of such a nature has been received. In addition to the preceding claim, another PTA official is quoted saying their office does not possess the required instructions for the staff.
In the absence of the required clearance, the mobile devices remain idle and locked, making them useless for resale or auction.
The incorporated value that can be accruable within government revenue from such auction, PTA management, and even more importantly, depreciation, will result in bureaucratic delays compounded by dysfunction.
Calls for Immediate Reassessment of Systems Damage Control
Government institutions appear more concerned over control of information regarding mobile device auctions, rather than considering the potential revenue streams.
Under the scrutiny of the public eye seeking inexpensive second-hand smartphones, the aforementioned sophisticated bureaucracy comes off as a potent threat to national efficacy through the dysfunction that comes along with inefficient governance.
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Bureaucratic pretextioned rationale aside, experts are of the opinion that using a real-time data-sharing platform between PTA and Customs may constitute a more effective solution.
In default of swift system redevelopment, thousands of seized mobile devices will remain in storage until their value depreciates to a mere fraction of the original.
