KARACHI: MCC Quetta has been quite efficient in its campaign against smuggling and seized smuggled/non-duty-paid goods worth Rs87.52 million in one week.
Customs Quetta conducted several operations at Quetta-Lakpass Road, Quetta-Chamman Road, Degari Cross Sibi Road, Dalbandin, Shahbaz Town, Baleli, qilla Saifullah etc and seized smuggled goods including auto parts, automobile engines, tyres, mobile phones, cigarette, cloth, blanket, electronics, cosmetics, edible oil, power generators etc.
MCC Quetta has set up three check posts on different routes including Darakhshan Check Post on Sukkur road, Sorab check Post in Khuzdar city and Rakhni check post on Multan Road. More check posts are being set up to check all the routes.
Chief Collector Enforcement Zahid Khokhar, Collector Preventive Tariq Huda Collector Customs Quetta and Customs Intelligence & Investigation as per the FBR’s strategy is pursuing a rigorous anti-smuggling campaign.
Collector Saeed Jadoon and Additional Collector Dr. Fareed Khan, Assistant Collectors Mahabat Khan and Hamid Kambrani are keeping strict monitoring on the movement of smuggled goods. Quetta and Peshawar are two station declared highly sensitive as regards to movement of smuggled goods into the other cities.
The network of smugglers has been destroyed and the authorities have totally rejected the justification that this illegal trade was the only economic activity in the province as political figures and influential of the province are said to be involved in smuggling.
The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) is pursuing a rigorous anti-smuggling campaign, which is reflected in the legal trade vis-à-vis revenue collection details.
Illegitimate trade is a menace that has multi-pronged impacts on the economy. First of all, the government is deprived of its duty/tax revenue; un-tested and sometimes hazardous products find their way into the country’s market and most importantly the local industry is faced with an unfair competition.
Another official said money made through smuggling was the prime source of funding of terrorist and anti-social elements. This is the reason that law enforcement agencies and paramilitary forces are on board in this campaign, the official said.
According to Customs officials, a large quantity of clothing, electronics, mobile phones, auto parts, tea and cosmetics etc are smuggled into the country from Afghanistan. Mostly these goods are the same which are transported from our seaports to Afghanistan through the transit trade, the same find their way into country’s market without payment of duty and taxes. Moreover, significant quantity of petroleum products is smuggled from Iran.
Pilferage of transshipment cargo is another source of smuggling. Certain quarters import consignments under vague descriptions and file transshipment permits (TP) for different dry ports. These consignments are pilfered during the transit and distributed to local traders.