Karachi – The Supreme Court of Pakistan, in a ruling issued by a three-judge bench led by Chief Justice Yahya Afridi, alongside Justice Muhammad Shafi Siddiqui and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb, dismissed two civil petitions (No 500-K and 501-K of 2025) filed by Burki & Co and Ameer Muhammad Association. These petitions were challenged against the Director of Intelligence & Investigation (Customs) Karachi.
The case was related to the detention and seizure of 26 Hino Prime Movers, which had been imported in violation of specific terms outlined in the Import Policy Order (IPO) 2013. The petitioners were represented by Salahuddin Ahmed, while Pakistan Customs was represented by Khalid Mehmood Rajper.
The Court’s decision ended a decade-long legal dispute, with strong remarks against the Customs Appellate Tribunal. The Supreme Court stated: “The Tribunal overstepped the interpretation provided by this Court, which is binding. It is also hard to believe that after the vehicles were released, the Customs department had no authority to check if the IPO 2013 was violated.”
The petitioners, the Court concluded, deliberately avoided the required legal procedures, which led to the dismissal of their claims. The ruling also referred to the legal doctrine of election, which states that once a choice has been made between legal remedies or forums, it cannot be revisited in a lower court.
