ISLAMABAD: The Finance Ministry termed the report of Rs 6 billion of losses to the national economy due to undocumented illegal trade taking place at Torkham Border hypothetical and based on unauthentic information.
On behalf of Pakistan Customs, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), Finance Ministry, in a written reply to a question asked by PTI Member National Assembly Siraj Muhammad Khan said that smuggling from Afghanistan had been admittedly a source of constant concern for the country. The long and porous border with Afghanistan has traditionally been difficult to manage/ control by the Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) having jurisdiction in FATA.
However, the flow of smuggled goods mostly takes place through the unauthorized/ unfrequented routes where Customs has no presence at all. The Land Custom Station at Torkham border is spread over a few kanal area where besides Customs other LEAs e.g Frontier Corps and the political administration also have considerable physical presence with authority to contain illegal trade. Therefore the figures quoted in the question seem to be hypothetical and not based on authentic information.
Similarly complete documentation and record of all seizures made by the Customs Collectorate, Peshawar are properly, maintained at Torkham Custom station where the seized goods are properly warehoused in a notified State Warehouse and seizure reports are submitted to the adjudicating authority for decision under the provisions of Customs Act, 1969. Record to this effect is properly maintained.
The political administration of Khyber Agency and Commandant Khyber Rifles Landi Kotal also maintain complete record of the seized goods from the stage of deposit into the State Warehouse till final disposal.
It is pertinent to note here that Pakistan Customs is the guardian of Pakistan borders against movement of contraband goods and is facilitator of bona fide trade . It provides a major source of revenue to the Government of Pakistan in the form of taxes levied on the goods traded across the borders. It also helps to protect the domestic industry, discourage consumptions of luxury goods and stimulate development in the under -developed areas.
