PM orders to intensify crackdown on smugglers

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday instructed the authorities concerned to intensify the nationwide anti-smuggling campaign.

Chairing a high-level meeting, Sharif commended Army Chief Gen Syed Asim Munir for supporting the government’s anti-smuggling initiatives.

The meeting featured a presentation by the investigation committee led by AD Khawaja, which received the prime minister’s praise for pinpointing those exploiting the Afghan Transit Trade for smuggling purposes, including complicit officers. Sharif ordered the immediate removal and disciplinary action against the officers involved in facilitating smugglers.

The prime minister urged law enforcement and intelligence agencies to collaborate effectively to dismantle smuggling networks. He called for stringent punishment for smugglers and drug traffickers and instructed the law ministry to draft urgent legislation in this regard.

Read more: PM calls for joint efforts to curb smuggling

Sharif underscored the government’s zero-tolerance policy towards public fund embezzlement and directed the implementation of initiatives to foster alternative livelihoods and a positive environment for youth in border areas. He stressed the need for enhanced monitoring of Afghan Transit Trade goods sales and smuggling within the country, advocating for a third-party audit of the current system.

The prime minister mandated the complete eradication of sugar smuggling and the prompt allocation of funds to assess drug consumption levels nationally. The meeting covered various aspects of smuggling, including the misuse of the Afghan transit trade, narcotics, sugar, wheat, fertilizer, petroleum products, and illegal arms.

Officials briefed that a comprehensive national anti-smuggling strategy, developed in consultation with stakeholders, is nearing completion and will soon be presented for approval. The meeting highlighted a recent successful raid by law enforcement on a Mastung warehouse, resulting in the seizure of smuggled goods valued at over Rs10 billion.

The prime minister commended the law enforcement agencies for their intensified efforts to combat smuggling.

The meeting was attended by federal ministers Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi, Jam Kamal Khan, Ahad Khan Cheema, Rana Tanweer Hussain, Dr. Musaddik Malik, Azam Nazeer Tarar, the Federal Board of Revenue chairman, the attorney general, law enforcement personnel, and senior officers.