It has come to our attention that a vlog recently published on YouTube contains false and misleading claims regarding the operations of the Pakistan Single Window (PSW) and its senior management. These allegations are baseless and appear to be part of a deliberate attempt to discredit PSW to protect the vested interests entrenched in the old system. PSW wishes to clarify that:

1. PSW is primarily a data exchange platform designed to facilitate cross-border trade by integrating multiple government departments and regulatory bodies. PSW streamlines and digitalizes business processes, removes bureaucratic discretion, and enhances transparency and visibility.

2. While software development and maintenance of the WeBOC system has been transitioned to PSW by FBR, the underlying infrastructure including databases, and hardware remain under PRAL/FBR with restricted access to the PSW personnel.

3. The PSW management, including the CEO, does not have access to the PSW or WeBOC systems for day-to-day technical operations. All operational activities are handled by designated technical teams under strict protocols. Every digital transaction in the system is logged, time stamped, and traceable.

4. PSW takes pride in its mission to improve transparency, efficiency, and integrity in Pakistan’s trade processes and is fully aware of the resistance this reforms have triggered amongst actors-both within and outside the system-who previously benefitted from opacity, inefficiency, and discretionary powers.

5. Over the past four years, PSW has built a professional, performance driven workforce recruited through merit based processes, subject to regular evaluations, and held to the highest standards of accountability.

6. The incident mentioned in the Vlog involves entering of fake vehicle auction records by customs personnel misusing assigned User IDs taking advantage of a design flaw predating PSW. There is no indication of system manipulation, glitch, or error. The incident is under investigation by customs authorities with full support from PSW in terms of provision of data, IP addresses and other technical information.

We believe this vlog is part of a deliberate disinformation campaign targeting PSW’s credibility and undermining Pakistan’s trade facilitation reforms in the process and is driven by vested interests threatened by the increased visibility and therefore accountability inherent in an electronic system. We take such defamatory content seriously, consider it as a conspiracy against Pakistan’s reform agenda, and reserve the right to initiate legal action against individuals and platforms responsible for disseminating false information that damages the reputation of PSW, its employees, and its stakeholders. We are reporting the video to YouTube under its misinformation and defamation policies and are considering legal action against those responsible.

We urge the public and our stakeholders to rely only on official PSW communications and to treat unverified content with caution.

For further information or to report misinformation, please contact the undersigned:
Waqas Aziz
Vice President – Communications
Pakistan Single Window (PSW)