The unscrupulous elements freely use motorway from Peshawar to Lahore for bringing smuggled goods into the provincial metropolis because the customs department is not allowed to check illicit trade/transportation of smuggled consumer items on motorway.
According to the sources in the Directorate of Intelligence and Investigation, Lahore, the customs officials in a recent attempt have seized a huge quantity of smuggled cigarettes worth millions of rupees. Most of the quantity of different brands of cigarettes was imported under the Afghan Transit Trade, which was being smuggled in Pakistan.
According to the sources, 255,000 packets of Enjoy International Brand cigarettes worth Rs 3.975,450, 50,000 packets of Pine (Light) brand (Made in Korea) valued at Rs 375,000, 800 packets of Capstan Brand Cigarette and 6,000 packets of Morven Gold brand (counterfeit) were confiscated in a raid conducted by the Directorate of Intelligence and Investigation, Lahore.
The samples of the confiscated cigarettes were also sent to M/s Phillip Morris (Pakistan) Limited so as enable it to ascertain whether the cigarettes were genuine or counterfeit. However, the samples were tested/checked in the company's laboratory and were found fake. The company also submitted test report to the authorities concerned, the sources added.
The sources further disclosed that the directorate has limitation to check the sale of counterfeit or smuggled cigarettes at retail shops. Besides conducting raids on shops to check the sale of smuggled items is not feasible due to political influence. "We only focus the routes being used for smuggling but again we are restricted to chase unscrupulous elements/smugglers on motorway, as it comes under the jurisdiction of motorway police. Because of our limitations, the smugglers freely use motorway from Peshawar to Lahore to bring smuggled goods including cigarettes," sources added.
The sources further maintained that because of the financial constraints, checking staff could not be deployed on every interchange on the motorway. Moreover, monitoring of illicit trade of smuggled goods is also not feasible on all the interchanges set up on motorway from Peshawar to Lahore, the sources added.
Similarly, the trade facility provided to the people on both sides of the Line of Control ie between Indian Occupied Kashmir and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, is also being misused, as a number of goods including food items, spices, gutka, khopra, tea, herbs are excessively smuggled from India.
Pakistan and the Indian governments had allowed in 2008 the trade of 21 selected items along with travelling permission between the two parts of Kashmir as a part of various attempts to promote peace in the region. As a result, two spots ie Chakothi-Salamabad and Rawalakot (Titriote)-Ponnch were identified for the trade purpose while it was also agreed that travel and trade points can either be changed or increased which also include Haji Peer-Silli Kot, Tatta Pani-Mendher, Chaliana-Tithwal, Chakothi-Uri.