Pakistan Customs has launched a crackdown against five major retail stores in Islamabad for selling non-duty paid imported goods in violation of the country’s import policy, seizing foreign products worth crores of rupees and initiating legal proceedings against the store owners.
On the instructions of Collector Customs Islamabad Rizwan Salabat, Deputy Collectors Mudassar Aziz and Faryadullah Khan assembled 14 customs enforcement teams from across the district. The teams raided Shaheen Chemist, D Watson Chemist, GN Store, Al-Fattah Store, Shams Store, and Isa Ji Store, all located in Islamabad’s F-6 and F-11 sectors, two of the capital’s most prominent commercial areas.
The teams inspected and seized foreign chocolates, soft drinks, perfumes, pasta, cosmetics, and other imported goods. When asked to produce import documentation, the store owners were unable to provide any evidence that the goods had been legally imported or that applicable customs duties had been paid.
The raids were carried out under import policy SRO 237, which requires that imported food items sold in Pakistan carry “Halal” labeling written in Urdu. The seized products did not comply with this requirement, forming the legal basis for the enforcement action.
The operation did not go smoothly. Store owners, including Zafar Bakhtawari of D Watson, protested against the customs teams during the raids. The owners argued that the goods were neither harmful to health nor expired, but customs authorities proceeded with the seizures regardless, noting that the issue was not product safety but the absence of legally required documentation and labeling.
The crackdown signals a broader enforcement push by customs authorities in the federal capital against retailers selling imported consumer goods without proper duty payments or regulatory compliance. The stores targeted are well-known outlets in Islamabad that cater to upper-middle-class consumers and are popular for carrying international brands not typically available in mainstream Pakistani retail chains.
The seized goods have been confiscated and legal proceedings are underway against the store operators.
