ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Customs leads in almost all the anti-smuggling agencies by making the biggest amount of seizures of smuggled goods during the fiscal year 2015-16.
Currently, Pakistan Customs, Maritime Security Agency, Pakistan Coast Guards, Frontier Corps (KPK), Pakistan Rangers (Punjab and Sindh) and political administration of FATA have been delegated with responsibilities to check the inflow and outflow of smuggled goods from the country.
Sources at the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) shared the data of the seized smuggled goods by all the anti-smuggling agencies with Customs Today.
As per data, Pakistan Customs grabbed the first place in all the above mentioned agencies by seizing 9,772.61 metric ton of smuggled goods.
Pakistan Rangers (Sindh) stood second by seizing 505.45 matric ton of smuggled goods in the current fiscal year 2015-16. Then Frontier Corps (KPK) remained third in this calculation as it grabbed 268.76 matric tons of smuggled goods.
Pakistan Coast Guards and Maritime Security Agency stationed at fourth and fifth position as the former seized 223.27 metric tons of smuggled goods while the latter made seizures of 23.55 matric tons only.
Data further stated that anti smuggling agencies had been deployed at the border and seashore under the powers under Section 6 of the Customs Act, 1969. These agencies had been delegated with given powers under different SROs.
For example, Frontier Corps (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) was deployed to check the smuggling through SRO issued on 01-12-2010. Pakistan Rangers (Punjab and Sindh) vide SRO issued on 01-12-2010.
Similarly, Pakistan Coast Guards was assigned with the duties to counterfeit the smuggling bids through SRO issued on 20-01-2014. Pakistan Maritime Security Agency through another SRO issued on 20-01-2014. Moreover, the political administration of FATA was granted powers to check smuggling through SRO issued on 14-02-2000.
