Cross-border smuggling: Security personnel found involved to face stiff action

ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Interior Minister Sarfaraz Bugti said on Monday that the entire nation was united against the menace of terrorism and it would be ensured that there was no single terrorist in the country.

Addressing a pressing conference flanked by Information Minister Murtaza Solangi, he said several apex committee meetings were being held to curb the issue of terrorism and the nation will see the change in next few days.

Regarding the Mastung terror attack, he said that the probe of Mastung attack continued and facts would be brought before the nation.

“RAW’s involvement had been found in incidents that occurred previously in Balochistan. No matter what kind of violence it is, our security forces have the capacity and they have won the fight against terrorism by demonstrating courage,” he said.

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When he was asked about security for elections, he said it was the responsibility of the government.

“We held a meeting with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and we will hold more meetings,” he said, adding that the government would request the state institutions whenever security was required.

To a question about Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Supremo Nawaz Sharif’s return to the country, he said that it would be encouraging if Sharif wanted to return to the country to take part in politics. Sharif is the leader who had returned to the country along with his daughter for going to jail, he said, adding that he would have not returned to the country if he had any fear of jail. However, he also said that Sharif would be treated as per the law upon his return.

The minister said that that thousands of metric tons of wheat, sugar, urea, and petroleum products have been recovered as a result of successful anti-smuggling and anti-hoarding drive by the government. He said that 2,157 metric tons of wheat, 8,220 metric tons of sugar, 4,239 metric tons of urea, and petroleum products of 10,195 litres were recovered during the last month.

The minister said that the government has decided to increase the number of joint check posts that had been set up in Balochistan for curbing smuggling from 10 to 14. The joint check posts consist of Customs officials, Frontier Corps (FC), and police personnel, he said, adding that the government has also decided to set up 14 joint check posts in Punjab, 10 in Sindh, and seven in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.

‘Massive’ crackdown on hoarders, smugglers announced

Bugti said that any personnel of security forces found involved in cross-border smuggling will face a court-martial. If I say that security forces were not involved in smuggling, it will not be right as the smuggled items are transported via trucks, not camels, he said, adding that Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir had told the military personnel that whoever was found involved in illegal cross-border trade would face action. The minister said that the army had its own accountability system.

He said that during the ongoing anti-smuggling, a total of 1,095 litres of petroleum products worth Rs126 million have been seized. So far, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has registered 168 cases regarding Hawala Hundi and recovered Rs658.470 million during the month of September, adding that 43 metric tons of narcotics have been seized and 168 cases have been registered against the smugglers.

He said that the Ministry of National Food Security and Research (NFS&R) has fixed the quota of sugar, wheat, and urea for border areas in order to curb the supply of sugar, urea, and wheat more than the fixed quota through the joint check posts.

The checking of the movement of essential commodities in the country continues through modern technology, he said, adding that the distribution of urea had been made technology-based. He said that the monitoring of Afghan transit trade from Karachi port to Afghanistan would be conducted in order to curb its misuse, as well as, tax evasion.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023