Quetta: Quetta Customs Intelligence set ablaze confiscated prohibited items valued at more than Rs5 billion. These goods, which had been in their possession for several years, were finally destroyed in an exercise after a nine-year period.
The seized items, stored in warehouses, had become a breeding ground for corruption. The longer they remained in storage, the more susceptible they were to pilferage and replacement with scrap. Notably, Chinese salt, betel nuts among other goods were among the goods that had already been pilfered and replaced across various warehouses in the country.
A solemn ceremony took place, attended by Advisor to the Federal Revenues, Tauseef Ahmed Qureshi, and Director of Customs Intelligence Balochistan, Dr. Nauman Ahmed, along with other officials. Despite facing limited manpower and resources, the Customs Intelligence team in the province has been actively combating smuggling and preventing the transportation of banned goods.
Under special instructions, Director General of Customs Intelligence Pakistan, Ali Raza Hanjra, and Federal Board of Revenue Chairman, Dr. Asif Jah, oversaw the controlled burning of the prohibited items in Balochistan. The operation was meticulously executed, with Deputy Director Usman Aziz, Deputy Director Arsalan, and Superintendent Muhammad Mobeen Akhtar supervising the confiscation of banned items during various operations across Balochistan.
The incineration took place at a mountainous location near Hana Urak in Quetta, where the goods were loaded onto 40 ten-wheeler trucks. Advisor Tauseef Ahmed Qureshi and Director Nauman Ahmed emphasized that the value of the burned items exceeded 5 billion rupees, marking the largest seizure in Customs Intelligence history. Their commitment to curbing smuggling and enforcing the ban on transporting prohibited goods aims to rid Balochistan of this menace.
This destruction campaign is already underway nationwide, with similar operations having occurred earlier in Peshawar and Lahore.