The Central Board of Revenue (CBR) has decided to raid the warehouses containing smuggled goods on receiving credible information. According to the instructions issued to the Directorate General, Intelligence and Investigation and collectors of customs, customs would not be allowed to conduct routine checking on highways/roads.
Only information-based anti-smuggling operations would be carried out to confiscate non-duty paid products. The directive does not specify that whether the Bara markets are covered under the definition of godowns for raids or not.
When contacted, a customs official told Business Recorder that the board has issued an order to raid such places where there is precise information of smuggled goods storage. The customs cannot conduct operations within the jurisdiction of tribal areas. However, raids could be conducted at the places of tariff areas where these goods are being stored in a large quantity. Usually, goods are smuggled from the tribal areas to tariff areas and dumped in godowns and later transported to cities.
The decision to conduct raids would not be an easy task due to the political implications of carrying out such operations in NWFP and Quetta. The political backing is a must before conducting any major operation in these cities, sources said. The CBR order is not precisely for NWFP/Balochistan, but such godowns are mostly located in cities like Peshawar near the tribal areas, sources added.