MULTAN: Collectorate of Customs Enforcement & Compliance (E&C) has started crackdown against smuggled High Speed Diesel (HSD) and petroleum products on the special directives of Federal Board of Revenue.
Collector Customs Collectorate Enforcement & Compliance (E&C) Multan Muneeza Majeed has launched operation against illegal outlets in the jurisdiction on directions of Chief Collector Faiz Ahmad.
According to the action plan available with Customs Today, the operation against illegal outlets has been divided into two phases. The initial phase will comprise simultaneous action against illegal POL retail outlets in the South Punjab and adjourning areas which have already been geo-mapped by customs and choking off supply routes of smuggled POL products from Baluchistan to the rest of the country.
The second phase of crack down will encompass mapping of requirements of POL products in Baluchistan, planning for provision of legal retail outlets to replace the shortfall of smuggled oil and devising a strategy to curb POL smuggling at the international border of Baluchistan. Customs Department and other law enforcement agencies to take action against 64 illegal petrol retail outlets in South Punjab area and seized smuggling routes of petroleum products at the border stations across Baluchistan.
Multan Customs Department has also detained petrol and high-speed diesel being sold at these illegal outlets. The FBR has also issued instructions to the customs department Baluchistan to seal six supply routes of smuggled oil in the province. Multan Customs Department will now give one week’s time to the owner to produce the relevant documents. In case of failure to produce relevant documents, the outlets will be seized and cases for confiscation and filing of the FIR will be initiated. This process will be adopted in each case across the country including South Punjab. Multan customs Collectorate has issued very clear and detailed standard operating procedures for the operation and responsibility of all agencies involved.
In the first phase, all major supply routes used for POL smuggling from Balochistan to the rest of the country will be monitored and choked. The routes identified for extensive monitoring are Gaddani-Cross, outside Khuzdar on M-8, Kolpur, Rakhni, Manikhawa and Darya Khan Bridge.
Sources told Customs Today that due to the illegal selling of petroleum products to the national exchequer, is in the range of Rs100 billion to Rs150bn per annum. The operation will be monitored from the Central Control Room resourced by Pakistan Customs, situated in the Ministry of Interior and Provincial Control Rooms in the offices of chief secretaries of respective provinces
