QUETTA: A massive fire broke out at a key Customs Enforcement check post in Balochistan on May 10, destroying hundreds of seized vehicles and large quantities of confiscated goods.
The blaze, which officials describe as “suspicious,” occurred just hours after the issuance of a high-level administrative order forming a new stock-taking committee—and amid a backdrop of recent high-profile suspensions in the infamous “silver replacement” scandal.
The fire erupted at a Customs Enforcement Field Unit (FEU), one of several locations that had just been placed under new supervisory leadership. On the morning of May 10, Collector of Customs (Enforcement), Quetta, Shahid Jan, issued an addendum (Office Order No. 10/2026 dated 15.04.2026) reshuffling the chairmen of stock-taking committees responsible for inventorying confiscated goods.
Within hours of the order’s circulation, a large fire—whose source remains undetermined—swept through the facility. Preliminary estimates indicate the loss of hundreds of vehicles (including smuggled and unauthorized vehicles held for auction) and massive quantities of other contraband goods. No casualties have been reported.
“The timing is beyond coincidental. The fire effectively destroyed assets that were due for immediate verification,” a senior official present at the scene told this reporter, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The tragedy follows a series of unheeded warnings from the country’s intelligence arms. In a dramatic revelation, it has emerged that Director Dawood Pirzado of the Directorate of Intelligence & Risk Management – Customs had issued an Intelligence Alert in April 2025, warning of “great concerns of theft or mob attacks” at Customs check posts, specifically naming Lakpass, Noshki, and Kolpur. The alert noted that the “law and order situation in Balochistan has remained compromised” and urged the deployment of security forces.
More recently, on April 14, 2026, Director Basit Hussain of Intelligence & Investigation issued Intelligence Alert, which explicitly warned of “Escalation in Unauthorized Vehicle Movement and Threat to Confiscated Goods” at warehouses adjoining check posts, including Lakpass and Ziarat Crossing. The alert described “organized attempts to exploit gaps in enforcement” and a “grave threat of pilferage, substitution, or unlawful removal” of confiscated commodities.
Despite these alerts, physical security at the check posts reportedly remained minimal.
In response to mounting pressure and the intelligence warnings, Collector Shahid Jan had formed a new stock-taking committee just days before the fire. The addendum, issued on May 10 (the same day as the fire), appointed Mr. Samiullah, Raja Bilal Naseem, and Muhammad Ahmed Rizwan as chairmen for various sensitive locations, including FEUs at Yaro, Ziarat Cross, Baleli, Bolan-Darakhshan, and Lakpass.
The fire has effectively crippled the committee’s ability to conduct a proper inventory.
The incident also recalls the high-profile silver replacement case, in which senior customs officers were recently suspended. In that scandal, confiscated silver bullion was systematically replaced with fake material while under official seal. Sources say the current fire exhibits a similar pattern—destroying evidence or assets before they can be audited.