KARACHI: The anti-smuggling campaign recently launched by Pakistan Customs suffers a set back after officials are threatened and attacked, while the authorities seem helpless against the smugglers and criminals.
In a recent incident, smugglers and criminal elements associated with Sikandar Subhani and Safdar Iqbal etc attacked the residence of one Customs intelligence Lahore official Mian Yaseen leaving the son of Mian Yaseen Mian Mohsin severely wounded.
Moreover, the official and his family are constantly being threatened. However, the law enforcement agencies have not taken any action against the known smugglers and criminals associated with Sikandar Subhani and Safdar Iqbal etc.
The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has also failed to provide protection to its officials, due to which the officials are left with no option but to succumb before the might of criminals, who are patronized by political influential and corrupt bureaucracy.
Mian Yaseen was performing his duties honestly and cracked down the replacement of transshipment cargo causing huge loss to these criminal elements. Certain unscrupulous elements import high value goods and file transshipment (TP) for dry ports under vague descriptions. During the transit these high value goods are taken off the containers and very low value goods attracting nominal duty/tax are stuffed in these containers.
The phenomenon of pilferage and replacement of transshipment cargo has been causing colossal loss to the national economy. Mian Yaseen has lodged complaints with law enforcement agencies and FBR seeking protection for his family as well as necessary action against the criminals.
This is not the first time that FBR official was attacked. Several officials have been killed by the criminal elements and the culprits were never taken to the task because of the weaknesses in the system that has plagued the institutions with corruption.
The FBR official who arrested model Ayyan Ali for attempting to smuggle foreign currency abroad was killed but his assailants were never arrested because of obvious reasons. Two other customs officials were killed in Hyderabad as they were working efficiently against the criminal practices.
There are numerous instances wherein efficient and honest officials whether belonging to FBR or any other institutions were threatened, attacked and gunned down, but the authorities did not take any action in this regard; which sends this message to other honest people that they had no place in this society of corrupt and criminals who are patronized by elected representatives and high ranking government officers, even the military is no more immune to corruption.