KARACHI: While Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Chairman Tariq Bajwa seems committed to halting smuggling, more than 700 containers of Transit Trade cargo have been stuck on the Afghan border.
“This all has happened with the commitment and dedication of the law enforcement agencies, including FC, Balochistan Police, Army and the Pakistan Customs particularly deputed at the Pakistan’s borders”, Chief Collector Enforcement-South Zahid Khokhar told Customs Today in an exclusive interview at his office on Friday.
Informing about his recent visit to Balochistan’s Gwadar and Quetta collectorates, the chief collector said that he had held separate meetings with Inspector General Frontier Corps General Sher Afghan and IG Balochistan Muhammad Amlish. In the meeting, it was resolved that smugglers would never be allowed to even walk freely in Pakistan.
The efforts of the Customs officials in Balochistan were laudable as the collectorates and intelligence were seizing huge quantities of goods on daily basis, giving a strong message that smuggling would never be acceptable to Pakistan Customs at any cost, Zahid Khokhar added.
“The clearing agents had approached me requesting that these hundreds containers loaded with electronic items, tea, spare parts, clothes etc be allowed to enter Pakistan territories. And, in return, they are ready to pay the custom duties/taxes,” he said.
However, their request was turned down on the spot and it was made crystal clear that these goods would not be allowed entry into the country at any cost,” the chief collector said.
The chief collector stated that IG FC and IG Balochistan Police assured that Pakistan Customs would receive all out assistance and support to take action against smugglers.
