ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Customs has taken a number of measures to control smuggling on Pak-Afghan border in Balochistan.
The source added that Balochistan shared around 930 kilometers long porous border with Afghanistan which was entirely manned by Frontier Corps (FC) Balochistan. The Pakistan Customs is present only at the notified Custom station at Chaman to facilitate the bilateral legal trade between the two countries and to regulate the Pak-Afghan transit trade.
“Three new Custom stations on Pak-Afghan border have been notified in Balochistan to facilitate legal trade and to discourage smuggling through unfrequented and non-notified routes along the border,” an official source at Pakistan Customs Headquarters told Customs Today.
The source said that all the existing check posts on the major routes leading to Quetta and other parts of the country had been re-enforced. Moreover, three new check posts at Yaroo, Zhob, Rakhni and Darakshan (Bolan) had been established to check the flow of contraband and smuggled goods from Balochistan to other parts of the country.
The source said that Pakistan Customs made efforts to engage other Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) including Frontier Corps (FC) Balochistan to evolve an effective interdepartmental co-ordination for fighting the menace of smuggling collectively.
To a question about total number of crossing points on Pak-Afghan border the source said that there were a number of crossing points on Pak-Afghan border namely Nawagai (Bajaur Agency), Khapakh, Ghalani (Mohmand Agency), Teri-Mangal (Kurram Agency), Buki (Kurram Agency), Kharlachi (Kurram Agency), Shaheedano Dand (Kurram Agency), Chulam Khan- (North Waziristan Agency), Lawara Boya (South Waziristan Agency), Angoor Adda (South Waziristan Agency) and Khand Narai (South Waziristan Agency).
Similarly, the source said that on Pak-Iran border the crossing points under use were namely Katagar (district Washuk-Adjacent to Mashkel, Chdighi (district Panjgoor), Rideeq (district Mand) and Border Point-250 (district Kach). All of these points located in Balcohistan.
The source said that with the active assistance and support of police and FC Balochistan, organized smuggling gangs have been disrupted to a large extent and have been compelled to revert to legal trade.