Pakistan Single Window (PSW) has begun rolling out the Lab Management System (LMS) for the electronic processing of lab test requests initiated by government agencies for clearance of imports/exports.
In the first phase laboratories associated with the Department of Plant Protection (DPP) are on board with the system with the Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR) lab in Karachi and the GMO Testing Lab of Agricultural Biotechnology Research Institute (AARI) Faisalabad being the first ones to be fully integrated on the PSW platform.
The new service enables authorized officials from the relevant government departments to electronically request lab testing of any imported or exported goods and view the results online before issuing the requisite license, permit, certificate, or any other authorization.
For the traders, the service offers an online payment facility as well as visibility over the status of their cases. In addition to reducing the paperwork and multiple visits to the labs and other government offices, the system aims to bring more transparency to the process by providing complete visibility to all concerned stakeholders of the test reports.
As the leading public sector entity responsible for the digital transformation of cross-border trade and the notified operator of the Pakistan Single Window (PSW) system, PSW has successfully transitioned the cross-border trade-related processes of key government departments including the Department of Plant Protection, Animal Quarantine Department, Federal Seed Certification & Registration Department, and the Pakistan Standard & Quality Control Authority from the manual or semi-automated environment to a fully digitized platform connecting all these departments with Customs, commercial banks, and private sector service providers.
The system now has more than 57,000 active subscribers and new modules, services, and features are constantly being added to the system.
A statement released from the office of the CEO of PSW, Syed Aftab Haider, stated, “The new service is part of PSW’s mission to completely transform and digitize the cross-border trade processes in Pakistan while at the same time enhancing transparency and consistent application of laws and regulations. The LMS is designed to provide real-time visibility to the traders and government officials of the test reports and the goods’ compliance status with the relevant laws significantly cutting down the times and costs associated with the process. We are thankful to all our partner agencies and the management of the labs for collaborating with us on this important initiative”.
The referral of goods to designated labs for testing and screening purposes is an important part of the risk management process for customs and other regulatory agencies. Whereas Customs may refer goods for lab testing and scientific analysis to determine/verify their HS code classification for applying the correct rate of duty and taxes, other government agencies may require lab testing for various reasons connected to public health, food safety, phytosanitary requirements, compliance with national standards for quality control, and detection of radioactive elements or drugs, etc.
The digitization of the process will further improve the capability of PSW’s integrated risk management system to detect potentially non-compliant traders/goods at the time of clearance.
Pakistan Single Window is an initiative of the federal government of Pakistan. It automates and integrates cross-border trade-related procedures of Customs and other government agencies (OGAs) making trade faster, easier, and cheaper. Through the Pakistan Single Window, traders can submit customs declarations, permits, and other information required by several government agencies through a single, digital portal.
In addition to the single window system, PSW launched its Trade Information Portal in March 2022 providing complete guidance on import, export, and transit-related procedures and is working to launch the first phase of the Port Community System in June 2023.
