Smuggling of essential commodities issue of national security: Rana Sanaullah

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan said Friday that smuggling of essential commodities out of the country was not only a matter of the nation’s food security but also of national security.

He said that all necessary steps would be taken in order to avoid the shortage of essential commodities in the country.

The minister's comments came during the third meeting of the committee formed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on the prevention of smuggling of wheat, sugar, fertiliser, and other essential items, according to a press release.

The meeting was presided over by Sanaullah and Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, while Commerce Minister Syed Naveed Qamar, Industries Minister Makhdoom Murtaza Mehmood, Special Assistant for Revenue Tariq Mehmood Pasha, Interior Secretary Syed Ali Murtaza, Chairman Federal Board of Revenue Asif Ahmed and representatives of federal and provincial institutions were also in attendance.

"This is a serious problem and the government will have to take every possible step to counter the problem," said Khawaja Asif, adding that the government will have to take tough decisions to prevent this issue.

The meeting also approved the establishment of joint check posts comprising police, customs, and other law enforcement agencies.

The Interior secretary briefed the participants on the progress made on the decisions taken during previous meetings.

He also briefed that joint patrolling will begin soon and that a central data cell was established in the Federal Board of Revenue regarding the smuggling of essential commodities. A survey had also been started in order to prevent unnecessary supply in these districts.

Moreover, amendments were also being initiated in the laws to effectively prevent the smuggling of essential goods, the forum was told.