ISLAMABAD: The customs department has asked US authorities to provide proper details of military equipments stolen from International Security Assistance Force reverse cargo in Karachi, it is learnt.
According to sources, the customs department has sent a letter to the US authorities asking for details of the military equipment stolen from ISAF reverse cargos as the department appears clueless about the nature of equipment.
Earlier on December 7 this year, a team of Customs Preventive during a raid at the yard of the authorised bonded carrier ”M/s Water Link Pakistan Private Limited” recovered auto parts of Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC), which were being offloaded from ISAF retrograde container. Customs officials had also found two more ISAF containers which were filled with sandbags after stealing all the sophisticated military equipment.
The sources added that after lapse of over 20 days, the customs department was still unable to recover sophisticated equipment stolen from these two containers. Therefore, the department has now approached the US authorities.
Sources added, “Although Pakistani government has restricted the US and NATO forces not to transport lethal military equipment through Pakistani soil, we have no idea whether they are following these instructions or not. The possibility of arms and ammunition in the reverse cargos could not be ruled out.”
“Presently, we have not reached any logical conclusion in the case as we are waiting for the US authorities’ response,” sources said.
Previously, Customs Preventive had received a complaint against M/s Water Link. The complaint accused the company of illegally opening ISAF retrograde containers by removing rivets from the doors of the containers and then stealing ISAF military equipment without touching the seal and re-riveting containers.
In response a team of Customs Preventive officers had raided the yard of the company to verify the claim of the complainant. During raid, customs had found three ISAF reverse cargos, all sophisticated military equipment from two of three containers had been de-stuffed, but they had recovered auto parts of APC from the container.
