Karachi, June 26, 2025 – In a dramatic shift in policy, the Standing Committee of the National Assembly has recommended that the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) be granted legal authority to utilize tempered vehicles—those confiscated due to tampered chassis or identification numbers—for official operational purposes.
The suggestion forms part of the committee’s proposed changes to the Finance Bill, 2025.
The key amendment revolves around the newly proposed Section 187A of the Customs Act, 1969. This section seeks to redefine the legal presumption around tempered vehicles, stating that any vehicle found with a tampered chassis number—whether cut and welded, filled with welding material, or re-stamped—will be presumed to be smuggled. Even if such a vehicle has been registered with a Motor Registration Authority, it will still be deemed illegal, subject to confiscation, and may now be used by the FBR for operational duties within 90 days of seizure, as per Section 182 of the Act.
Initially, the Finance Bill 2025 did not include any provision for the use of tempered vehicles by the FBR. However, during the Senate Standing Committee on Finance’s deliberations, FBR Chairman Rashid Mehmood Langrial made a strong case for decisive action. He declared, “These vehicles are not just illegal—they pose serious risks to road safety and national security. Tempered vehicles must never be allowed back into the public market.”
Langrial went further, recommending the destruction of such vehicles rather than auctioning them off, warning of the danger of resale of their parts. “Tempered vehicles should be set ablaze if necessary,” he stated boldly. “They have no place on our roads again.”
In response to these concerns, the committee advised that any vehicle meeting the criteria of a tempered vehicle should be destroyed within 30 days of confiscation—unless the FBR formally designates it for internal use in its operations.
This new stance represents a critical effort to curb vehicle smuggling and ensure tempered vehicles do not re-enter the market under false pretenses. By empowering the FBR to repurpose such vehicles responsibly, the government aims to balance enforcement with practical resource management.