ISLAMABAD: The newly construced Islamabad Airport, which was due to be inaugurated on 23rd of March 2018, is hard to be operational by the said date, CT learnt.
According to details given by Nisar Ahmad Phularwal, Additional Deputy Collector, Air Fright Unit (AFU) Islamabad, while talking with Customs Today during an exclusive interview, said the construction work of the new Islamabad Airport is in progress and expected to be completed soon.
Replying to a query that where the investigation has reached against heroin smuggler Candy Brayn, he said that, during the month of January 2018 at the Benazir Bhutoo International Airport Islamabad, the customs officials arrested a Christian Pakistani national identified as Canedy Brayn at the Islamabad Airport carrying 1.6 kilogram of heroin. The accused was attempting to smuggle drugs into Sharjah, UAE. The customs officials recovered heroin and crystal methamphetamine, more popularly known ‘Ice and Glass’, concealed inside the lady shoes.
He added that investigation of above said case is underway. He disclosed that the Investigation and Prosecution (I&P) Department has found during the investigation that a notorious international gang of smugglers, led by the brother-in-law of Candey Brayn (accused) who is living abroad, is involved in said heroin smuggling case. The customs has prepared a roadmap for tooking into the custody of the main smuggler and other gang members involved in above said heroin smuggling case.
Responding to another query regarding the shortfall of revenue during the month of January 2017-18, the Additional Collector quoted “it is a historical fact that, during the month of January, assigned revenue target under the head of Customs Duty (CD) cannot be achieved due to the completion of 2nd Quarter but the AFU will definitely meet its revenue target assigned for the month of February 2017-18”, he assured.
Replying to yet another query, Phularwal said the AFU generated surplus revenue collection under the head of CD with an extra amount of Rs5million during the month of January FY17-18 against the same period of correspondinge FY16-17. He added that, during the month of January FY17-18, AFU received Rs216.91million against a revenue collection of Rs211.76million of CD during the same period of previous FY16-17.
He said that, during the month of December FY17-18, the AFU collected Rs366.93million as CD while it did Rs284.77million under the same head during the month of November FY17-18. The AFU earned Rs264.16million under the same head during the month of October FY17-18 whereas it did Rs154.77million of CD during the month of September FY17-18. The AFU fetched Rs198.97million under the same head during the month of August FY17-18 and it got Rs156.57million as CD during the month of July FY17-18.
