PESHAWAR: In order to step-up coordinated effort against smuggling, Director General Intelligence and Investigation will soon hold meetings with the Inspector General (FC) and Inspector General (Police), Khyber Pakhtonkhawa for seeking assistance in anti-smuggling operations.
Sources informed Customs Today that it has been decided in a meeting held at Directorate General of Intelligence and Investigation –FBR chaired by Director-General Intelligence and Investigation Imtiaz Ahmed to formulate strategy for effective and coordinated anti-smuggling operations.
Reliable sources said that Director General Imtiaz Ahmed and Chief Collector would also remain in contact with IG Islamabad, IG Punjab and IG Motorways to seek their operational support.
The meeting nominated Collector Peshawar as the ‘focal person’ for conducting all anti-smuggling activities in Peshawar region. Moreover, Director Intelligence and Investigation Peshawar will share information with the concerned formations regarding vehicles being used in the smuggling of goods within two days.
Regional Directorates Intelligence and Investigation (Preventive) would also follow a similar joint anti-smuggling strategy to curb smuggling activities in their respective jurisdictions and share contact numbers of focal persons and other staff for joint operations and sharing of information. They will identify points in their jurisdictions as done by Customs Peshawar.
Regional focal persons at the level of additional directors/additional collectors will be notified in coordination with the concerned collector/director.
In case any smuggling target is missed at any check point, information will be relayed to all concerned focal persons of the areas of jurisdiction. The meeting decided that smuggled goods would to be apprehended without any compromise.
It is pertinent to mention here that the meeting decided that all collectorates and regional directorates to hold meetings with local transporters associations and send them a clear message that no offending vehicle belonging to these transport companies would be spared if found involved in smuggling activities.
