KARACHI: The influx of smuggled goods from Afghanistan continues unabated as Directorate General of Customs Intelligence & Investigation entrusted with the responsibility to prevent smuggled is allegedly patronizing this dirty business.
Customs Preventive Lahore has seized large quantity of non-duty paid miscellaneous goods, which had come from Afghanistan.
Information was passed through Collector MCC Preventive Lahore Faiz Ahmed that attempt would be made to smuggle foreign origin goods from Peshawar. Accordingly, staff of Customs Preventive Lahore kept vigilance and spotted the suspected vehicle at Kala Shah Kaku inter-change.
The vehicle was found to be stuffed with foreign origin auto parts, air conditioner parts, toiletries and other miscellaneous goods. the driver of the vehicle Dastaklhatullah and his associate Baitullah could not provide any documentary evidence proving legal ownership of the goods. the goods have been seized and an FIR is lodged against Dastakhatullah, Baitullah, Sohail Gul Zaman and Yousuf Khan.
On the directives of Chief Collector Zeba Hai Azhar, Collector Preventive Lahore Faiz Ahmed has formed a committee headed by Additional collector Tayyaba Kayani and comprising Deputy collector Moazzam Raza, Superintendent Nasir Mehmood Tarar and Deputy Superintendent Agha Qadeer Haider, Inspectors Nasir Saeed, Azam Watto, Saleem Shahid, Shahid Bhatti and Amjad Khan to monitor the movement of smuggled goods and undertake concrete measures to eliminate the menace.
Meanwhile, Anti-smuggling (ASO) of Preventive Lahore seized three containers of miscellaneous smuggled goods coming from Quetta worth Rs103 million. FIR has been lodged and investigations are underway.
Smuggling of goods from Afghanistan through Quetta is going on in full swing. The Afghan transit cargo finds its way back into the country. Quetta-Chaman is a very long border and Customs do not have the resources to cover such a long border.
Customs Preventive, MCC Gwadar and Coast Guards have almost eliminated the transportation of smuggled goods from Quetta to Karachi. Therefore, the smugglers are transporting the smuggled goods from Quetta to Jacobabad allegedly escorted by Customs Intelligence & Investigation. Then via Sadiqabad, Multan, D.G Khan and then Lahore. From Lahore these goods are routed to Karachi. Sources said Customs Intelligence & Investigation is patronizing the smugglers and they protect the goods from other agencies claiming that it was their case, while actually they are only moving the goods forward.
Sources said two notorious smugglers identified as Mohammad Sadiq and Nabi Bux are running the entire game and these are said to be under the protection of a federal advisor, while top officer of Directorate General of Customs Intelligence & Investigation is the facilitator. A retired Customs Intelligence official Mushtaq Sarghana is reportedly controlling the movement of smuggled goods throughout the country and even Sarghana is operating the Directorate General of Customs Intelligence & Investigation calling transfers and postings. Several officers and officials coming in their way were victimized and transferred.