ISLAMABAD: During the months of November and December, it has been proven that chances of narcotics’ trafficking have increased at the Benazir Bhutto International Airport Islamabad. The smugglers take advantage of the fog and winter season at the Apron area (The airport apron is the area of an airport where aircraft are parked, unloaded or loaded, refueled, or boarded) to hide their narcotics’ consignments.
The administration of the Customs Airport Islamabad is preparing a proposal for The State Bank of Pakistan to amend or change the existing SRO on the subject of passenger-carrying amount of $10,000 at the time of travelling abroad. The Islamabad Customs is planning to propose The State Bank that above said facility to carry 10,000 dollars should be given to those passengers who are tax return filers.
Some notorious people may exploit said facility. The notorious elements hand over above said amount or little less 10,000 dollars to laborers who work abroad at the price of free tickets. In this way, the notorious people convert their black money to white so The State Bank must formulate some policy or amend the current SRO which allows every passenger to carry $10,000 during the international traveling.
Talking to Customs Today, Ali Asad, Assistant Collector Benazir Bhutto International Airport (BBIA), said while giving an exclusive interview, that due to the Pakistan International Airline (PIA) the luggage of passengers got delayed due to which Customs Department has to face the anger of the passenger during frisking and scanning of their luggage.
He said that, due to delay in checking of passenger’s luggage, the Customs Department often reluctantly check the insensitive flights which causes time lapse and unnecessary load of work. Sometimes the luggage of sensitive flights like Dubai is loaded lazily so it reaches the arrival hall with a long delay. The other insensitive flight from Muscat or some other insensitive country reaches the airport during delayed hours. The PIA staff loads the luggage of both sensitive and insensitive flights at once on conveyer belt which causes unnecessary delay in transporting of the baggage from Apron area to the international arrival hall.
Assistant Collector told correspondent that some parties living abroad are involved in smuggling of taxable goods. They get printed their visiting cards which are distributed in the surroundings of the airports that reflect the written offer like “carry our goods to Pakistan and get free ticket”. The innocent, poor and needy people get their taxable goods into the country against the free air tickets. When the poor passengers reach the Islamabad airport then their agents get the goods from them without paying any taxes.
Answering a query, Ali Asad, Assistant Collector Airport, said there are three major entrances that touch the Apron area namely Gamma Gate, Engraining Locker Site and Freight Gate Site. The said entrances touch the Apron area to prevent any misuse so it urgently requires a close watch on every gate which touches vast Apron area. He said that the Islamabad airport is suffering understaffing in every shift which works with three Inspectors and two Sepoys in one shift. This is insufficient to perform against the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the Airport Security Force (ASF).
He said the Customs cannot perform well against the ASF or CAA as five Inspectors must be deputed in one shift to conduct the operation satisfactorily.
