KARACHI: Collectorate of Customs Enforcement has impounded huge quantity of foreign origin smuggled cloth from Jama Cloth market and arrested five Afghan nationals involved in smuggling and attacking Customs staff. The value of seized cloth is Rs17.7 million.
Sources said that information was received through Collector Enforcement Feroz alam Junejo to Additional Collector Honak Baloch and Deputy Collector Inamullah Wazir that a huge quantity of foreign origin smuggled goods and foreign origin smuggled cloth was warehoused at Lucknow Al Jadeed cloth centre, adjacent to Jama cloth market, Karachi.
Accordingly, Customs team was constituted under the supervision of Deputy Collector of Customs, ASO and also the area police and Sindh rangers were taken on board to recover the smuggled foreign origin cloth from the premises.
The customs reached the aforementioned premises and pasted the search notice issued by the Magistrate on the said premises and open the doors and started carrying out the search.
Meanwhile, an instigated mob comprising Afghan nationals started pelting stones at the customs staff. But the customs officials and officers despite of such resistance kept on carrying out the search and found the smuggled cloth at second floor of the Lucknow Al-Jadeed cloth centre, Jama cloth market, Karachi.
The customs officers and officials started loading the foreign origin cloth in to the containers. During that exercise mob started to attack again, this time with the weapons and started firing on the customs officers and officials.
They also attacked the government vehicle with stones and sticks which caused a huge Ioss to the government vehicles but they were tactfully handled and pushed back and the six offenders were apprehended.
Meanwhile, the recovered smuggled cloth were taken into possession and loaded into two 20ft containers and were escorted to the State Warehouse, Keamari for detailed examination of the recovered goods and completion of all other legal formalities.
An official said the attackers were all Afghan nationals. Afghans have occupied Yusuf Plaza, Bolton Market and then Tariq Road. They bought properties on premium. An official said Pakistani law enforcement agencies had no writ on Yusuf Plaza and Tariq Road, and now they have occupied Jama Cloth market. They have fake and forged Pakistan identity cards.
Sources said a senior office bearer of Jama cloth market is an Afghan national and a member of PML-N.
A report in this regard was sent to Prime Minister that all these Afghan nationals are smugglers and were involved in illegal businesses. Subsequently, Prime Minister Imran Khan announced that Afghan nationals along with their money would be repatriated back to Afghanistan.
Further investigations are still underway till the filing of this report.
