Customs' apathy leaves a dozen ostrich chicks dead at Lahore airport

LAHORE: The non-functioning of Pakistan Customs' online system at Lahore airport left over a dozen ostrich chicks dead, who among 400 others were being imported from South Africa.

Tahir Lateef, owner of a private company, said that for years he has been importing ostrich chicks from South Africa and raises them at his farm in Karachi. "This time, I had prepared a shade in Lahore and his first shipment arrived through a flight on Friday morning at 7 am," he told this correspondent.

Upon reaching at the airport to pay the duty, the owner said, he was told that the Customs online system was not working. "I requested the authorities to let me pay the duty under the older system, but was denied."

"The time for banking transactions ended amid all this," explained Lateef. "When the online system was restored, I was told that concerned officials were not present."

All this continued for 60 hours, during which the condition of the chicks - which were kept inside boxes - deteriorated and many of them died.

The importer lamented that Customs officials, even after being offered advance and higher duty, didn't agree and were apathetic despite knowing the case involved livestock.