Checking strengthened to curb smuggling: official

LANDIKOTAL: Pakistan Customs has started implementation of the Federal Interior Ministry notification and seized a handsome amount of foreign currency at Torkham border, officials said on Saturday.

A senior customs official claimed to have foiled several foreign currency smuggling attempts and seized more than $70,000 in the past two months.

Collector Customs Enforcement Moeenuddin Ahmad Wani said that the Federal Interior Ministry had issued directives to all customs authorities to strengthen checking passengers’ luggage at all crossing points.

He said that following the directives of Interior Ministry, Pakistan Customs had enhanced its checking of goods and luggage. He said they have deployed extra staff at various border points with Afghanistan.

The customs officials posted at Torkham border were provided special trainings and equipped with modern searching equipment and skills, he added.

Wani said that in the past two months, they had seized more than $70,000 being smuggled to Afghanistan. He said strict directives had been issued to all customs staff to curb all kinds of smuggling and facilitate import and export for traders.

He claimed that in the past one week, customs had recovered $45,000 at Torkham border and apprehended the smugglers. He added that the arrested currency smugglers were the members of international money laundering gangs. “The foreign currency smuggling is harming the national economy,” he added.