LAHORE: A joint-operational strategy adopted by the Customs Preventive and Customs Intelligence and investigation has proven useful against the menace of smuggling to a significant level.
The Model Customs Collectorate Preventive is working on modernising the ASO, while induction of fresh-blood by the end of the current fiscal year will further improve the performance.
This was stated by Lahore Customs Preventive’s Anti-Smuggling Organisation (ASO) Assistant Collector Dr Adnan Khan while talking to Customs Today here the other day.
Acting upon the strategy made at the central level, the Lahore Preventive and Customs Intelligence have conducted a number of joint operations, which resulted in success of both the organizations of the Pakistan Customs, he said.
He revealed that the strategy has its special focus on northern sides that include motorways and GT Road and special a liaison has been made with the highways authorities.
The meetings were aimed at evolving a comprehensive strategy for mutual information sharing between customs and highways authorities, he informed, adding that the authorities concerned shared a comprehensive list of a number of suspected buses being used for smuggling from Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Gujranwala and Lahore via motorways and GT Road.
“The lists have further been shared with the customs scouts and the scouts are free to capture theses buses,” he said, adding that four of these suspected buses have been impounded loaded with smuggled goods and articles worth millions of rupees during joint actions.
He said that the Lahore Preventive’s ASO and Customs Intelligence field formations were vigorously acting upon the strategy, as all officials have been strictly ordered to follow the strategy by the FBR.
The strategy is also significant as it has enabled both collectorates and directorates to conduct major anti-smuggling operations successfully by using resources of both departments, Khan added.
He further informed that Lahore Customs was working on anti-smuggling software and Collector Zulfiqar Younis was taking keen interest in the project.
In accordance with the vision of the collector, the smuggling actives could be monitored from the headquarters and instructions would be passed on wireless sets from the central control room. The scouts could be tracked from the control room through wireless communication system and instructed accordingly, the assistant collector explained.
In order to curtail drug smuggling, a drug cell was also in the offing which will be made on the same pattern of ASO scouts and skilled staff would be deployed, he said, explaining that the drug scouts could move freely and trace drug runners.
He further shared that the Custom Preventive was also developing a warehouse software system to manage and monitor warehouse activities.
The measures would help strengthening the ASO to control the smuggling effectively, he said, informing that the department was putting focus on training of the ASO staff.
“The staff is being trained in weapon handling and physical strength and in this connection we have planned to send ASO staff in groups to FC Peshawar for training,” Khan highlighted.
By the end of this year, fresh recruitments of inspectors and spoyes would be completed and the things will get even batter, Khan hoped, adding that to great extent deterrence has prevailed at the boarders and roads, and operations at the market places were also on.
