PM wants efforts to purge country of smuggling boosted

ISLAMABAD/ UNITED NATIONS: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday, expressing satisfaction over reduction in smuggling, instructed relevant institutions to accelerate their efforts to purge the country of this menace.

The prime minister, chairing a meeting to review the measures for elimination of smuggling, reiterated the government would never allow smugglers to damage the national economy. He instructed to apprehend the people involved in smuggling, their facilitators and confiscate vehicles used for the purpose. He also asked the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), interior ministry and other relevant departments to improve their coordination and sought a comprehensive strategy to create employment opportunities in the frontier regions.

During the briefing, the prime minister was told that the interior ministry was running a countrywide campaign and effective measures were being taken to curb the smuggling of petroleum products, cigarettes, mobile phones, gold, tea, clothes, commodities, tyres and spare parts. It was told that a web portal to curb smuggling of urea and sugar had been launched and 54 joint check-posts had been established as per the prime minister’s directives. A mechanism for identification and mapping of non-custom paid vehicles and draft legislation to establish the Pakistan Land Port Authority were in the final stage.

A report on the outcomes of anti-smuggling drive was also presented in the meeting which said that 212 Afghan transit trade goods at risk of smuggling had been banned and a bank guarantee had been made mandatory for the trade, instead of an insurance guarantee. It was told that besides essential commodities, the smuggling of petroleum products had also reduced by half and sugar by 80%. During the year 2023-24, goods worth Rs106 billion were confiscated and anti-smuggling drive also led to a reduction in hoarding practices. The participants were also apprised of action taken against the officers involved in smuggling.

It was told that the process to identify the smugglers, their facilitators and transporters was on a fast pace, with the collaboration of Nadra, Excise and other relevant departments.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is set to address the United Nations General Assembly’s annual General Debate on September 26, according to a provisional list of speakers released by the UN on Tuesday. The high-level debate of the 193-member’s Assembly’s 79th session will take place from September 24 to 30. It will be the second time Prime Minister Sharif will deliver a speech to the General Assembly.