MULTAN: The Federal Tax Ombudsman (FTO) has accused customs officials and law enforcement agencies of incompetence and negligence for not being able to combat smuggling and sale of Iranian petroleum products in South Punjab.
The ombudsman directed the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to form a joint task force comprising officials of both the customs and law enforcement agencies to take up the fight against smuggling, distribution and sale of Iranian petroleum products in the South Punjab.
The FBR has request the interior ministry on the request of Customs officials to set up a patrolling force comprising the FC, coast guards, police and customs officials to keep a check on smuggling through the Punjab Baluchistan border and highways.The ombudsman gave the directives in an order in a case pertaining to smuggling and sale of Iranian petrol. As per the order, the failure of customs authorities to stop smuggling of petrol from Iran reflects extreme negligence and disregard for duties.
During investigations, the ombudsman office discovered that customs officials did not even bother to register cases against the smugglers while illegal consignments and vehicles were subjected to only nominal fines before being released.
Multan Customs authorities including the Model Customs Collectorate (MCC) Quetta as well as the Directorate of Intelligence and Investigation expressed their weakness in combating the problem, citing inadequate logistics and human resources, the FTO report also revealed.
The report further added that the officials had attempted to put the blame on law enforcement agencies. It also stated that customs officials and law enforcement agencies did not take action against illegal petrol dumping stations set up across various roads and highways of South Punjab.
According to the report, the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) has also contributed to the problem as it is under the cover of Ogra ordinance that the smugglers of Iranian petroleum products have been able to operate.
The ombudsman recommended the constitution of a special task force to combat smuggling. The task force should chalk out a strategy and outline the legal powers of officials of the customs and law enforcement agencies for taking action against the smuggling of Iranian petrol.
Meanwhile, the authorities in the road transport department have been advised to re-examine the fitness certificates of all vehicles and stop the movement of buses with dangerous storage tanks filled with the smuggled fuel. Multan Customs Officials failed to stop smuggling in the jurisdiction due to their incompetency and insufficient planning.
