Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday reiterated his commitment to saving the national economy from the onslaught of smuggling. The PM maintained that modern technology must be used against smuggling and directed the law enforcement agencies that besides arresting culprits, their facilitators must also be brought to book and their vehicles used in the crime should also be confiscated, reports The Tribune.
PM Shehbaz called for greater coordination between the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), interior ministry and other related departments and asked them to pool their resources in this endeavour more effectively.
The officials attending the meeting informed that a web portal for monitoring and controlling sugar smuggling has been launched and 54 joint checkposts have been established as well.
As per news published in The Express Tribune, a report revealed that 212 Afghan transit trade goods considered at high risk of smuggling had been banned, with mandatory bank guarantees replacing insurance guarantees for the trade. Additionally, the smuggling of essential commodities like petroleum products was reportedly reduced by half, and sugar smuggling by 80%.
The present anti-smuggling campaign has succeeded in seizing smuggled goods of Rs106 billion during the current fiscal year while there has also been a considerable decrease in hoarding. The government is cracking down hard on the officials involved in smuggling, and to continue its efforts, the smugglers, their facilitators, and transporters are being identified and caught with the help of NADRA and other agencies.
