FAISALABAD: In order to save the national economy from the menace of smuggling, the Customs Intelligence and Investigation staff should work honestly keeping themselves away from any kind of corruption.
This was stated by Faisalabad Customs Intelligence Additional Director Azmat Tahira while talking to Customs Today during an interview. She also affirmed her intention to deal with the officials strictly, if they found involved in corruption, which is brining huge losses to the national economy.
She said that a zero-tolerance policy has been adopted to curb the smuggling and against the transportation of illegal goods, article and vehicles in and around the jurisdiction.
The additional director hailed the performance of intelligence staff, including Deputy Director Muhammad Riaz Hussain and Superintendent Muhammad Rafiq for weeding out the smuggling. She added that performance of the officials was being improved due to which the trend of smuggling was decreasing day by day. The intelligence staff also directed to keep a vigilant eye on smugglers those are damaging the economy for their vested interests, she said and showed satisfaction over the performance of the officials.
Tahira informed that the Customs Intelligence conducted various successful raids in its jurisdiction consisting of Sargodha, Khushab and Faisalabad and confiscated huge quantity of smuggled items and vehicles.
During April-May, 2016, the intelligence staff seized contraband items worth Rs 61.186 million involving duty/taxes amounting to Rs 3.99 million, she added. The officials impounded ten offending vehicles worth Rs 39.8 million under Section 157 of the Customs Act, 1969 during the said period.
She said, “Now it is impossible for a smuggler to hide as we are adopting a comprehensive strategy to check smuggled vehicle and others items”. She said that selling of smuggled items was not in favour of the country rather these items causes loss to the national economy.
The customs department had tightened its screws around the smugglers in the Faisalabad region, she said, adding that all customs officials were determined to curb smuggling in the region. The staff was trying its level best to remove all smuggled items from shops, markets and plazas while bounding all shopkeepers to keep only those items which are imported lawfully into country.
