$3.5 billion loss to National Exchequer reported through smuggling
Shares
Caretaker Prime Minister Anwar al-Haq Kakar has said that illegal smuggling and foreign currency trade pose a threat to Pakistan.
During an informal conversation with senior journalists, he revealed that 27,000 Iranian oil-smuggled trucks were entering Pakistan illegally from across the border daily. Deputy Commissioners were receiving bribes ranging from 150,000 to 250,000 rupees per truck for their entry. Deputy Commissioners were also implicated in smuggling.
He mentioned that illegal movement across the border has almost ceased, though smuggling hasn't completely stopped. He stated that military and civil leadership had initiated a campaign against smuggling. This was the second campaign in the past three years, but this time the crackdown was severe. It was his decision to stop Iranian oil smuggling to Pakistan, and the Pakistan Army played a significant role in this large-scale crackdown.
Prime Minister further stated that before August, many people viewed the smuggling of Iranian oil as legal. The ongoing smuggling in Balochistan was given as the reason for continuing unemployment, which was intentionally left vacant for government employment. In 2020, the government at the time had also initiated a crackdown against smuggling of goods from Iran, with an estimated annual loss of 2 billion dollars.
He stated that the illegal supply of goods via routes in Balochistan to other parts of the country had ceased three years ago. As a result, 1674 illegal POL retail outlets were sealed, 1155 FIRs were registered, and 781 applications were submitted to freeze assets under the Customs Act.
He disclosed that only 11 items have caused a loss of nearly 3.5 billion dollars to the national treasury in terms of duties and taxes.
