ISLAMABAD: Although it is difficult to determine the exact losses caused by smuggling of goods with absolute precision from Afghanistan to Pakistan due to porous borders.
However, Pakistan Customs made seizures of more smuggled goods worth of Rs 17076.95 million last year as compared to the worth of seizures made in financial year 2013-2014.
The tune of these seizures was Rs 7,409.33 million in 2013-14 while this amount increased to Rs 24,486.28 million in previous fiscal year” a well placed source at Pakistan Customs told this scribe while sharing a data in this regard.
Source liked the visible increase in seizure of smuggled to the heightened enforcement efforts made by Pakistan Customs.
As with an objective to curb the menace of smuggling across the country including border areas, Pakistan Customs has reinvigorated its enforcement measures, including intelligence sharing and carrying out joint operations with support of other Law Enforcement Agencies i.e Frontier Corps (KP), Pakistan Ranger (Punjab/Sindh), Pakistan Coast Guards Pakistan Maritime Security Agency and Political Administrative Authorities (FATA) which have been entrusted with an smuggling powers under Section 6 of the Customs Act, 1969
But, factually, due to the long porous border and lack of verifiable data about smuggling/illicit trade from Afghanistan, the exact tune of smuggled goods’ determination is not possible.
Moreover, Pakistan Customs does not have operating jurisdiction at borders with Afghanistan and within the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) except only through Customs Stations notified under section 9 of the Customs Act, 1969, whereas, smuggling is mainly due to the redirection of transit goods from Afghanistan into the border areas of Pakistan.
A good percentage of goods imported under the Afghan Transit Trade regime reportedly find their way back to the Pakistani markets. However, due to lack of reliable statistics about smuggled goods, exact quantum of loss to the national exchequer by smuggling cannot be ascertained.
