Customs bottlenecks are turning Pakistan’s largest export industry into a hostage of administrative delay, raising costs, disrupting production and eroding competitiveness.
Pakistan’s textile industry is warning that a worsening customs-clearance regime is choking imports of essential raw materials and putting export performance at risk. In a letter to the prime minister’s office, Aptma says clearance times for imported inputs have stretched from the global norm of two to three days to around 10 days.
What is breaking: compliance without predictability
The industry blames an intensified scanning and examination regime under the WeBOC system, which is flagging a large share of containers for multiple layers of inspection. Scanning, physical examination, grounding and reassessment are creating a slow, sequential process ill-suited to just-in-time manufacturing.
Further strain comes from flawed faceless assessment, arbitrary valuation and classification disputes, technical glitches, and delays in plant protection clearances for natural-fibre imports.
Why it matters: delay is now a cost centre
For a sector that generates roughly 60% of Pakistan’s exports and supports more than 15m jobs, time is not procedural; it is commercial. Congestion at Karachi ports, equipment shortages and proposed external “super auditors” are adding cost, uncertainty and opportunities for rent-seeking.
The result is mounting demurrage, detention, production stoppages and missed delivery commitments—costs that ultimately weaken export margins and buyer confidence.
What must happen: shift from blanket control to smart facilitation
Aptma wants an emergency task force to deliver fixes within 30 days. The real test is whether the government can replace indiscriminate enforcement with risk-based clearance, accountable terminal operations and a customs system that treats speed as an economic necessity, not an administrative luxury.
