ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif gave the necessary authorities the go-ahead to step up their efforts to completely eradicate the threat of smuggling in the country on Wednesday, while also expressing his satisfaction. The prime minister, presiding over a meeting to examine methods to end smuggling, reiterated that the government will never allow traffickers to hurt the nation’s economy.
He said that the government was employing modern technologies to put an end to smuggling and that they had orders to apprehend the smugglers and their middlemen as well as seize the vehicles that they were using. Besides, he asked the Federal Board of Revenue, the Interior Ministry, and other relevant agencies to work together more closely and search for a comprehensive plan to create jobs in the frontier areas.
The prime minister was informed at the briefing that the interior ministry was conducting a nationwide campaign and that tangible steps were being made to stop the smuggling of goods such goods, cigarettes, mobile phones, gold, tea, clothing, commodities, tires, and spare parts for vehicles.
According to the information provided, the prime minister ordered the establishment of 54 joint checkpoints and the construction of a web platform to prevent the smuggling of sugar and urea. The last stages involved drafting legislation to establish the Pakistan Land Port Authority and developing a system for mapping and identifying non-custom paid cars.
During a report on the anti-smuggling campaign’s results was also given at the conference. It stated that 212 Afghan transit trade commodities vulnerable to smuggling had been outlawed and that bank guarantees, rather than insurance guarantees, were now required for the trade.
Along with other necessities, it was reported that sugar smuggling had decreased by 80% and petroleum products had decreased by half. The anti-smuggling campaign also resulted in a decrease in hoarding behaviors during the 2023–2024 year, when smuggled items worth Rs106 billion were seized.
The participants were also informed about the action that had been taken against the smuggling authorities. It was reported that, with the assistance of NADRA, Excise, and other pertinent agencies, the process of identifying the smugglers, their facilitators, and transporters was proceeding quickly.
The conference was attended by provincial chief secretaries, deputy chairman of the Planning Commission Jahanzeb Khan, PM’s Coordinator Rana Ehsan Afzal, and federal ministers Jam Kamal Khan, Ahad Khan Cheema, Muhammad Aurangzeb, Attaullah Tarar, Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi, Rana Tanveer Hussain, and Dr. Musaddik Malik.
