PM for operation to stop smuggling of essential items

Prime Minister Imran Khan has directed the Ministry of Interior, the federal and the provincial law enforcement agencies, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), and the provincial governments, to launch a joint operation to stop smuggling of essential commodities.

On Tuesday, the prime minister directed for crackdown against smuggling during a high-level meeting convened to review the situation of availability of essential commodities and their smuggling.

This was the second consecutive such meeting chaired by the prime minister during the last two days. The meeting was attended by Minister for National Food, Security and Research Khusro Bukhtiar, Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar, Adviser to Prime Minister on Commerce Razak Dawood, acting chairman FBR, and other officials. The prime minister directed the Ministry of Interior, the federal and provincial law enforcement agencies, the FBR and the provincial governments to launch a joint operation to stop smuggling and directed the Ministry of Interior to submit a comprehensive report on measures taken within the next 48 hours.

He also directed that keeping in view the recommendations of the taskforce on smuggling, short, medium and long-term measures should be taken to deal with the menace of smuggling and the Intelligence Bureau, the ISI and the federal investigating agencies have been directed to submit regular reports on the crackdown against smuggling to the prime minister.

A report was submitted before the meeting with regard to progress of border markets and the prime minister directed expediting work on establishment of border markets in Balochistan.

The prime minister stated that common man was suffering due to increase in prices of food items owing to smuggling, which was not acceptable. He added that the country's economy had been facing billions of rupees in losses due to smuggling. The prime minister also directed that a comprehensive policy should be formulated with regard to oil from Iran.