Smuggling is a menace that playing havoc with the economy of the country, its effects are like carcinoma one side it is promoting the illicit illegal trade causing a colossal loss to exchequer and on the other it is promoting the use of narcotics in the youth thus smuggling is the basic constituent of the black economy depriving of the country of legitimate duties, taxes, and other levies resulting in revenue putting a negative impact on national growth and economy. This phenomenon has become a matter of real concern as it brings the economy to destruction in form of loss of billions of rupees and a bad name of the country, in form of money laundering and human smuggling. Smuggling causes a severe damage to the trade and trader effecting badly the local industry.
The government has so far failed trying to stop smuggling but actions which are required not been taken properly because of lack of ample sources. . Roles of different agencies are not well defined as everybody is doing its job in its own way there is no uniform legislative and administrative structure to stop smuggling from the long porous and turbulent borders, no uniform law is present in FATA and PATA. The documented economy is having a crowding effect ,real estate is having bubble effect and of course a criminal impact on society broadening the gaps between have and have not's. This is proven that smuggling is like a pathogen of the society that has gained its roots in our society. . This phenomenon has become a matter of real concern as it brings the economy to destruction in form of loss of billions of rupees and a bad name of the country in form of human smuggling. Smuggling causes a severe damage to the legitimate trade and trader affecting badly the local industry. The quantum o the smuggling in Pakistan is very difficult to quantify a rough estimate 2016 only is $2.63 b a year of just 11 goods. Borders. Pakistan is a developing country and is said to be an Agro economy, in the last two decades it has been in deep troubles as of political instability and Terrorism .These two major factors not only effected economy badly but also disturbed the socio economic balance so a great depression in exports led to a weaker viable export base leading to unemployment. The depreciation in value of rupee, high inflation all is the result of political turmoil in the country. FDI is less as no security, no energy, bad governance being the biggest root causes have compelled the big MNCs to wind up their business. The only bright light is CPEC. Dependency is on foreign aid is increasing day by day. The role of different departments is obvious, every organization or agency is working in its own dimensions and is putting in their best efforts but the inter agency dependence is severely lacking the collection of reliable data is very difficult as the quantum of illegitimate trade is immense and is more volatile in nature as it is not only local and regional but on international level.
The roots of smuggling are very deep and this black economy is running parallel to the legitimate economy. The role different departments in Pakistan is different Pakistan customs has the major role in anti-smuggling activity as all trade related issue are their ambit as well as narcotics or import of its precursors ,covering Sea ports, Airports, Dry ports of the country. ANF deals are well equipped military organization is Anti-narcotics specific. FIA deals with the immigration and checks human smuggling ASF in addition to the security of the airports has assumed anti-smuggling assignment as well. MSA is the main force in the sea looking after the activities taking place in sea Pakistan Navy looks after it. The role of different departments in curbing smuggling is a very lengthy debate as smuggling is running on regular basis not only destroying economy but is the main obstacle in the growth of country .Only because of illegitimate trade the funds generated are being used in terrorist activities specially those generated by the narcotics .Every department is Lacking in man power ,technology latest equipment's, unavailability of adequate funds by the government. The obvious part is limited sharing of information on real time basis at interagency level. Weak interagency connections, lack of proper implementation of rules, deep connections of mafia with the corrupt officers and official's lack of strong policy and legal frame work is leading day by day increase in smuggling The available resources are better with the military and para military agencies but other ones are lacking in even in human resource the other questions of technology research oriented operations come later. The war on terror is being thrust upon us and we are leading towards more poverty no education and non-availability of basic amenities and adding to the miseries so smuggling is destroying our legal trade and business. The recent cases of heroin retrieved from the PIA aircrafts are traced back from Afghanistan as the poppy and its labs are there. Tobacco, Gutka, and cigarettes are the other commodities that are feely available in markets come through these countries and most of tobacco is of Indian origin. The Golden Crescent is of Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan providing half of the 60 MT on of the world heroin need 40% is smuggled through our routes. The other famous drugs are cannabis, methamphetamine, cocaine, opium and psychotropic drugs or synthetic ones both smuggled in an out. Pakistan Customs since its inception is playing a vital role in the anti-smuggling activities customs act 1969 clearly depicts the formal action from physical confiscation of the smuggle goods and persons as well as taking the legal actions against the smuggle goods weather goods for home consumption or narcotics . Mostly, commodities like Iranian diesel oil, clothes, antiquities, electronics, non-paid duty vehicles, cigarettes Tyres and many others. With meagre resources and Limited budget it is very difficult to overcome such a menace but still Pakistan Customs has left no stone unturned to achieve its objectives. Pakistan customs is a "Guardian of the Economic borders of Pakistan" recently we see a great effort by the anti-smuggling in Sind in special specially in the Karachi last year's a great quantity of heroin was confiscated from the International Airport of Karachi worth millions of dollars similarly in an incident huge quantity of antiquities which were 5000 yrs. old were detected by Pakistan Customs endorsed by the National Museum authorities valuing it 10 million US, so is Non duty paid vehicles worth millions which were also confiscated. Whether it is commodities or drugs a lot more is required to be done. The role of the police is of Great essentiality as the police is the guardian of the basic rights of the people regarding law and order and Curb crimes it is quite obvious that there is a complete Mafia that is involved in the smuggling activities both on regional and international levels, keeping in mind the limited resources and the Limited availability of Manpower, Technology the anti-smuggling drives are not that successful. Moreover the elements of corruption and the political pressures play a very vital role in this negative sense though from time to time police is checking the markets and the hideouts of the smugglers which are definitely associated with others crimes as well but to sheer disappointment they are mostly compromised because these Areas where the smuggling activities are heavily guarded and protected by the influential Mafia as a result the performance is slow. But still if we talk about the anti-smuggling activities and The Ventures of police with other anti-smuggling Agencies there is some success regarding diesel oil. The activities at the borders of the provinces in Pakistan, a very porous border with our neighbor specially Afghanistan and Iran and India these goods are smuggled into the country in a very much open way since it is very difficult for the police and other Agencies to control it the element of corruption has also worsened the situation lots of efforts are being made to improve anti-smuggling efforts.
Anti-Narcotic Force is a military agency which deals with the anti-narcotics activities this is a very comprehensive strategy based force with all the vital requirements from manpower to technology as well as intelligence activities .It has played so far a great role in destroying the means of anti-narcotics in the recent activities the force has played it's vital role in in controlling the movement of narcotics. It is present on the interprovincial borders as well as international border. But is a military organization headed by the military people they are very much reluctant to share exact data and they are not in a position to go in the joint ventures that's why a separate force is present at airports sea ports dry ports borders and on roads total destruction of the cultivated poppy in KPK, Sindh and in Baluchistan.
It is a military agency which is guarding in the coastal areas these areas are more vulnerable as a lot of smuggling takes place along the coast. They have been able to confiscate a lot of smuggled goods especially Iranian diesel though there ambit is mostly of security nature but they having a lot of man power and resources they are widely operating in sea and coasts. Seizer General Goods worth Millions of Rupees. Maritime Security Agency is responsible for the actions in the sea because they have full control of the sea waters and there where they perform in all directions with full force. They are mainly concerned with the guarding the waters but still they have a wide Ambit including anti-smuggling, they are equipped with the fastest speed boats and small water vessels to counter ,such activities taking place in the waters of the Arabian Sea specially the diesel oil which is smuggled from Iran. Again the joint ventures are too difficult though now joint efforts are being made.
To highlight the efforts of PMSA in eradication of drugs trafficking, it is significant role independently or in collaboration with other agencies, has seized smuggled goods worth millions.
Airport security force is mainly at airports responsible for its security, but has assumed the responsibility of the Anti-smuggling well so they are the ones which is the first tier of security at the airport security in several activities they have countered money laundering and narcotics and handed over to Customs and ANF.
Frontier Constabulary (FC), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was established by amalgamation of Border Military Police (BMP) and Samana Rifles (SR) in 1913. The main function of the FC is in the tribal areas against tribal incursions, criminal gangs and marauders operating across this buffer zone. However, owing to the widespread reign of terrorism and worsening law & order situation in the country, FC has been delegated with numerous assorted and multidimensional tasks in addition to its key function.
Many other agencies don't have a direct role in Anti-smuggling like FIA which has major work of immigration and passport cell but has effectively registered thousands of cases of monetary frauds , money laundering and illegal immigrants to their success they also check frauds in Banking circles and countering Terrorism . More over their prime duty is on airports regarding immigration thus playing a pivotal role in uprooting crime society. Other agencies like intelligence set up of IB and military which are very important institutions in giving inputs about illicit activities as terrorist get all the funds from illegal trade and Narcotics so time to time joint activities are there. Similarly the consumer associations and NGOs play a vital role in understanding the markets the trends of markets and the rights of the public being consumers through mass awareness drives time to time. The illegal trade has deep impacts on society economy so is the effect of drugs, arms and human smuggling. This illegal flow of money is invested in all sorts of activities from buying of properties to Harboring and financing the individuals and groups involved in illegitimate and terrorist activities. It is obvious that it cannot be done without collusion of the corrupt people; more over it is pertinent to mention that the bordering cities are more prone to it. Government has put its efforts but mostly these activities have become a normal practice. People are so much satisfied in buying goods from Bara markets on lower rates. Talking about drugs it has become a havoc 8.9 million drug users in Pakistan. The young out of curiosity, anxiety, Depression, peer pressure unemployment and easy availability are the main causes .Youth are using such stuff drugs of all sorts o from heroin, cannabis, amphetamine, and even psychotropic drugs.
The result is domestic violence, and all ills like robberies, snatching even murders for want of money to buy these drugs. In order to earn human smuggling is done as there is a lot of unemployment. For future people are smuggled in containers to Europe are either killed or jailed. Arms smuggling is a huge racket to support the extremist culture to create panic and instability in masses as a result everything in a balanced society is lost. This Economic Terrorism is very much prevailing, youth being the target wants easy money so either they become drug peddlers or drug addicts or terrorists. The black economy is incurring loss of billions the tax is evaded as a result the industry loses a lot because the smuggled goods are Available on lower rates. The legitimate loss of tax is great blow go economic development infrastructural development and has a deep negative effect on the national wellbeing.
These funds are mostly generated and are mostly in FATA and Baluchistan. The Afghan factor is very strong and REFUGEE element is very obvious, so are illegal immigrants operating on both sides of the border. As a result this all money since it is not documented or recorded is easily dumped in real estate, which has become a safe haven for the mafia. The biggest and most expensive properties are being bought in the posh housing and commercial societies where there are no formal transactions. As the prices if the so called files are minimal but actually are really very high these houses also serve as safe houses for culprits ,offenders, terrorists and criminals in many instances have been shown in media .The money is used to bribe officers and officials at all levels to be a part of the syndicate specially drugs. The political use if this money is for the elections as this mafia supports their candidates to get illegal gratification on local provincial and Governmental levels. The Afghan Transit Goods were and are freely smuggled into Pakistan and is stigma on our domestic commerce. The quantum is huge as this scenario being exploited very easily. The loss to exchequer is more than 3 billion US $ which is a huge loss.
The local importers manufacturers on the contrary pay heavy taxes like customs duty GST, FED, IT etc. and are not able to compete as a result the industry and exports are dying. The underworld activities cannot be traced down as they are far better organized to corrupt the whole system of the society. The state has failed to stop smuggling, as legal frame work is too weak so is the role of judiciary. The smugglers get off easily providing fake imports and invoices and to add to the miseries often amnesty schemes are announced to allow the non-duty paid vehicles to be legalized, thus supporting smuggling. This phenomenon results in huge funding and to spend on law enforcement agencies. As a result on the whole Government fails in its capabilities to provide basic requirements of the people and have to levy heavy Taxes in order to run day to day business. Smuggling provides a chance to even genuine importers and traders to be part of this black The black economy is totally unhindered because of the failure of the institutions in order to have success and to curb smuggling the prevailing strategies at the Governmental level have to be changed fully. in ordered to stop it ,It is obvious that lack of the coordination and interdependence of the departments and agencies to overcome is the biggest problem, to overcome this we need to have uniform policy based on sharing of knowledge and information among the government departments in order to achieve the goal at its maximum. The black economy in society has gained deep roots to stop we should learn from the case studies and the literature review Research and Analysis of the topic that until and unless all the stakeholders from government to a common man take this responsibility nothing can be achieved. The Civil Society has to play its role the manufacturers and importers have to fight for their rights and the Government has to support the entire Industrialist and to give exemplary punishments do the smugglers in order to stop this menace
The law enforcement Agencies whether it is PAKISTAN CUSTOMS, ANF, ASF, PAKISTAN COAST GUARDS, PAKISTAN MARITIME SECURITY AGENCY, FC, POLICE, FIA or any other department there should be a single unit comprising of all these agencies in order to work together under one roof and should share with each other their experiences, there information and their take which should also be monitored and supervised. We know that in the start it is very difficult as all the Agencies have their own role and ambits where they work but let us take the example of UK after the terrorist attack in London they come up with an idea that there should be a single unit comprising of of all of the agencies which is now National Crime Agency. By doing this they have achieved the unachievable. The lack of human resource lack of Technology lack of training and legal support all these government agencies are at a great loss. The intelligence units of all the stakeholders must be improved and joint training would be a great initiative in order to share knowledge and experience at the same time.
Now we come to the international level first when a linkage is formed in a proper way among the Agencies it will be very easy to interact with the International counterparts which to date is very inefficient for example to date the advance passenger information which is available everywhere at the international airports regarding the information about the passengers is still missing in Pakistan so all of the work that is being done by the Agencies to curb smuggling at the airport is profile based only and to some extent information. This can only be maximised if there is a proper and simultaneous sharing of the information by the relevant departments.
There exists a continuous demand in the market of these illegal goods as the people don't have alternative sources to meet their basic necessities so they have been left with no option to buy the goods which are though illegal but of the same quality on a relatively less price. This demand can be controlled but how only through giving subsidies to the genuine importers and manufacturers in order to strengthen and enhance the capability of the local industry. Moreover moral, ethical and educational pursuits play a vital role in a society and masses to know there rights and obligations and teach them how to strengthen the society and hence economy. The youth is falling prey to drugs from parents to educational institutes are responsible for clearing the minds of the young giving mass awareness. There should be state of the art rehabilitation facilities for the addicts in order to give them psychological support, only then we can create a drug free country.
And lastly Pakistan customs is playing a vital role as the Guardians of the Economic Frontier of Pakistan but all the other government departments they have a vital role and responsibility to play in it. We have sea ports we have dry ports we have airports and lengthy borders which are very much prone to smuggling in order to get rid of this evil we need to join hands and rather than depending on the foreign donations the enhancement we need is to improve at the Grass root level. The working of the departments to give incentives and rewards to the workers officers and officials who risk their lives for stopping smuggling. They and their family protection should be the prime importance and concern. The legal aspects should not be negated at any cost because the smugglers get easy way outs from the courts as they spend money everywhere and at all the levels. The exports should be monitored the import should be monitored strictly to end this element .As Pakistanis we are all responsible to make our country corruption free drug free and we should be on the same page in order to fight this social evil through collective efforts.
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