The Directorate General of Intelligence and Investigation, Customs and Excise, Islamabad, has demanded nine helicopters and sophisticated weapons for carrying out anti-smuggling activities at the border areas.
Sources told Business Recorder on Tuesday that the national anti-smuggling strategy has proposed logistic requirements for all collectorates of customs. The directorate has requested huge amount of funds for purchasing three helicopters for Quetta and six for Karachi collectorate.
According to sources, nine Bell helicopters would be immediately purchased after obtaining funds from the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR). Without helicopters, it is impossible to monitor the mountainous areas and conduct anti-smuggling operations. It has also demanded 37 high-speed boats/launches; radar systems; night vision devices; vehicles; different kinds of weapons and modern communication equipment for all collectorates.
The directorate has submitted following recommendations to the FBR for controlling smuggling under the new policy. First, the government should give priority to the disengagement of locals in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) and Provincially Administered Tribal Areas (Pata). The locals act as carriers, who must switch bover from smuggling to other positive economic activities. Once the locals are disengaged, their support to smugglers will be gradually withdraw and enforcement would be much easier in tribal areas.
Secondly, the FBR should rationalise tariff on all major smuggle-prone items to reduce the cost of smuggling. Thirdly, customs stations should be established on the popular smuggling routes and entry points to facilitate businessmen paying duties and taxes voluntarily. At present, the number of customs stations on borders are very less, which needs to be increased.
Fourthly, there is a need to establish check-posts for conduct enforcement job and seizures of goods. These check-posts should also be equipped with the quick reaction mobile squads and some of the points in highly difficult terrain should be equipped with helicopters.
Fifthly, there is a need to take effective measures for checking smuggling along the coastal lines. The Collectorate Preventive should be equipped with boats and other equipment needed for marine-based enforcement/interdiction.
Sixthly, the issue of recruitment should be addressed by offering golden handshake to all inspectors/sepoys who are above 50-year of age. The tribesmen should be recruited for carrying out anti-smuggling activities. Recruitment in the small ranks and executive staff from local tribes would solve problems.
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