Parliamentary Secretary for Finance, Revenue and Economic Affairs Rana Muhammad Afzal Wednesday informed the National Assembly that smuggled goods worth Rs 21 billion have been confiscated in eight months of the current fiscal year.
He said the Federal Board of Revenue has devised a strategy to check pilferage in the transit goods en route to Afghanistan by monitoring through tracking system and establishment of Mobile Enforcement Units, consisting of anti-smuggling mobile squads.
"These mobile enforcement units routinely examine transit containers on the basis of alerts issued by the tracking system installed on the containers to contain the menace of smuggling," he said.
The parliamentary secretary also said that customs check posts have not been established on the link roads carrying the Afghan Transit Trade goods, though mobile squads of different collectorates have been performing anti-smuggling operations from time to time on such link roads.
To another question, he said that 26 percent shares of PTCL were sold to Etisalat for US $2,598,960,000 in March 2006. However, the amount paid by the company so far is US $1,799,653,313.31. The total outstanding amount against Etisalat is US $799,306,686.62. "Some property disputes are hampering the transaction but we hope the courts will give a better judgement on the issue," he said, adding that litigation on the property disputes was being pursued in the courts.
He said the privatisation commission has facilitated the transfer of 3214 properties and only 34 PTCL properties remain to be transferred due to numerous reasons, including legal impediments. "The list of non-transferable properties has been forwarded to Etisalat for resolution under the conditions mentioned in the Share Purchase Agreement," he said.
Responding to a question asked by MNA Khalida Mansoor, Parliamentary Secretary for Planning and Development Saqlain Bukhari said the government is planning to set up four cancer hospitals across the country while first out them would be established in Islamabad.
"The government has allocated one billion rupees for the cancer hospital in Islamabad and practical work on the project would be initiated soon," he said. He said that PC-II of the project is being prepared and the planning commission was fully co-operating with the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulation and Co-ordination to start the project.