KARACHI: The Directorate General of Customs Intelligence & Investigation and Customs Collectorates are conducting joint operations against smuggling since February 17, 2016, which has yielded quite encouraging results.

As part of the strategy, several routes were chokes and the Directorate General of Customs I&I has made seizures of various goods worth Rs411 million since February 17, 2016 to March 16, 2016. Overall seizures of smuggled goods in March and April 2016 stand at Rs983 million.

MCC Peshawar has seized smuggled goods worth Rs274 million in April 2016 as compared with the seizures of vehicles worth Rs165 million in April 2015.

As part of the strategy, authorities choked several routes leading to Punjab from Quetta and Peshawar, which broke down the networks of smugglers.

Director I&I Hq and Peshawar Mohammad Saleem visited D.I Khan and Taang, which is the hub from where smuggled goods go to Punjab. These routes have been choked with the help of police and paramilitary forces, and no vehicle could carry smuggled goods to Punjab.

Mohammad Saleem also visited Kohat and Kohat Tunnel coming from Torkham and these routes have also been choked for the transportation of smuggled goods.

It may be mentioned here that several routes leading to Punjab from Peshawar including Ring Road, Motorway M-I heading to Islamabad, Jamrud Road, Grand Trunk Road, Charsadda Road and other allied main roads have already been choked for transportation of smuggling.

The government and military are on the same page in their stance against smuggling, which has yielded very positive results.