The Financial Monitoring Unit (FMU) has forwarded 1,060 suspicious transaction /financial intelligence reports under the Anti Money Laundering Act 2010 to law enforcement agencies during the last five years. In a written reply to a question in the National Assembly on Monday, Minister for Finance, Revenue and Economic Affairs Ishaq Dar said the FMU has disseminated 34 financial intelligence reports on the suspicion that might have relevance to the offence of terrorism.
As per Anti Money Laundering Act 2010 and international best practices, information furnished by the financial institutions to the Financial Monitoring Unit is kept confidential due to sensitivity and protection of innocent persons, he said. The minister said that being a source of intelligence the information on suspicious transaction reports is not disclosed till proved through investigation and prosecution. Moreover, this is essential for the protection of financial institutions in the country, he said.
To a question regarding total amount of tax collected from the mobile phone companies, he said that the total taxes paid by the mobile phone companies since 2012-13 is Rs 31,801 billion. To another question, the minister said that as a result of heightened enforcement efforts 7,057,017 litters POL valuing Rs 638.51 million approximately has been seized in the last three years. "In addition, about 150 illegal petrol pumps have been demolished in southern areas of Sindh and Balochistan," he said.
On account of smuggling of POL products, 12 persons have been arrested in the last three years, he said. The minister said that despite the fact of precarious law and order situation in the country, the government has been taking numerous steps to curb smuggling of the petroleum products. The Frontiers Corps (KPK) has been entrusted to carry out anti-smuggling within 20 kilometres of the international borders vide SRO 1090(I)/2010 dated 1-12-2010, he said, adding that the anti-smuggling powers have also been entrusted to Pakistan Coast Guards.
The Federal Board of Revenue has chalked out a comprehensive strategy to effectively curb the menace of smuggling, he said, adding that the joint efforts are being made by Customs and other law enforcement agencies to control smuggling of the petroleum products. Minister for Interior and Narcotics Control informed the National Assembly through a written reply of a question that a total of 188 Pakistanis have been repatriated due to fake travel documents during the last two years. He said that the total number of persons arrested due to their involvement in human trafficking during the last two years is 1885 ie: 1100 in 2013 and 785 in 2014.