An efficient and secured border management is vital for conducting cross-border trade. 14th century Indian border management was more security prone than efficient one. Had there been advance information system in vogue on the borders of sub-continent during those days, it would have saved Ibn-e-Batuta and many other distinguished travelers and traders waiting for months on Indian boundaries seeking nod from the Sultan sitting in Delhi some 400 miles away for entry into his territory.
But, this evidence shows that information and appraisals at the border in whatsoever rudimentary form, were prepared. With the passage of time, importance and expansion of trade took over the security concerns. Owing to increasing competition of world trade, speedy and hassle free clearance of goods through efficient border management has become one of the major tools to attract the traders and investors.
As a result of the complex nature of the requirement of many agencies at the border, interagency cooperation and coordination is required to ensure a safe and efficient border management. Besides ensuring that border security is not compromised, an effective border management can generate monetary and non-monetary benefits for the business community and result in the furtherance of legitimate trade.
The benefits may include saving of compliance costs arising from simplification and harmonization of processes, procedures and formalities , saving of costs for services related to transportation, cargo handling, saving of time arising from expeditious customs clearance, inspections and other forms of frontier control.
The traditional form of border management resulting in the presence of the numerous agencies at border checkpoints will have to be reassessed in order to reap the benefits stated above. The introduction of an Integrated Border Management (IBM) concept will go a long way towards meeting the national aspiration of ensuring border security and facilitation. The establishment of an IBM will require intra-agency coordination, inter-agency collaboration and international cooperation.
The objective of an effective border management through an IBM should strike the balance between rule-based control and trade facilitation of cross-border traffic, in particular, movement of goods and means of transport. To maintain the balance between the two major requirements at the border, namely, national security and trade facilitation, various enhancements are required such as access to technical aids and inspection equipment such as X-ray, scanner machines to facilitate the inspection and examination of goods, competent officials who have undergone intensive training and are committed to their profession, Inter-agency coordination and collaboration, simplification and harmonization of processes and procedures of trade documentation.
Border Management-Pakistan Customs Perspective: Owing to the strategic location, Pakistan has the potential to be a regional transport hub. Numerous international airports and three major ports on a long maritime edge on Arabia Sea connect us with all the nations involved in international trade. Thus all the nations of the world are our neighbors on Southern side. Operations of Pakistan Customs for clearance of goods are being performed on all the major entry points.
Owing to the greater quantum of trade, operations are more concentrated at Southern side. After roll-out of WeBOC system, performance of Pakistan Customs has improved substantially at International Airports and Sea Ports. In 2012, it was ranked by International Freight Forwarders as being the best in clearance of cargo in the Central Asia region (Doing Business: Trading Across Borders Dataset: World Bank).
But the position on western borders is not encouraging. Afghan boundary, in north, is the most open and porous among all the physical boundaries Pakistan shares with its neighbors. It is just like a home which does not have boundary in its backyard. The state of affairs at borders of territorial neighboring countries still lags behind and consequently poses a fundamental obstacle to promoting transit and intraregional trade through Pakistan.
In order to improve the performance of the three main border crossing points situated at Wagah, Torkham and Chaman, Government of Pakistan has started Integrated Transit Trade Management System (ITTMS) Project in collaboration with international donor agencies. It is anticipated that the completion of the cross border points shall trigger huge economic and financial incentives for the country. However, trade with other neighboring state i.e. Islamic Republic of Iran is minimal.
One of the main reasons is the absence of formal banking system with Iran. Four major border crossing points on Iran border lack infrastructure facilities, connecting roads etc. In order to reap the benefits of strategic location, automated clearance system, we should also provide basic facilities on the western border crossing points.