A significant relief
A significant relief
Editorial
Editorial

Provincial Home Minister Sarfraz Bugti had formally announced that the Government had withdrawn powers of the law enforcing agencies, mainly police and Balochistan Levies, under the Customs Act.

Provincial Home Minister Sarfraz Bugti had formally announced that the Government had withdrawn powers of the law enforcing agencies, mainly police and Balochistan Levies, under the Customs Act.

In case of Frontier Corps, the issue was referred to the Federal Government for a similar action withdrawing the powers of FC under the Pakistan Customs Act. It is a very significant and big relief to the common people as they were affected grossly as the law enforcing personnel considered every moving person as a smuggler or a dubious character.

They were subjected to insults at those check posts. I myself was a victim of such insults at remote check posts where functionaries manning the post insulted me long ago. It was bitterly true during the past 15 years in Balochistan.

To prove this and give a big publicity to this Government, the Home Minister conducted a symbolic raid on one of the Levies check posts where he made open the Government decision that the law enforcing agencies are barred from taking action under the Customs Act.

Sooner, the Federal Government will also come out with a similar decision withdrawing the powers of FC under the Pakistan Customs relieving the security forces to defend the international frontier and perform law and order duties for which the Provincial Government called for specifically.

At present, Pakistan is the prime victim of international terrorism and terrorists from neighbouring countries are entering Pakistan and involved in suicide bombing and other acts of subversion.

It was formally confirmed by the security officials and lastly by the IGP Balochistan confirming that the suicide bombers came from Afghanistan attacking the security forces. Thus it is a sane decision that the FC should be deployed on the border and seal all the routes of infiltration in Balochistan and secure Pakistan borders without any delay.

On the other hand, there is no room to show any mistrust on Pakistan Customs in performing their national duties curbing smuggling effectively.

This scribe is a witness too many sensation Customs operations against the smugglers unearthing gold and currency in raids demonstrating their professional skills. Seizing other smuggled goods was the normal practice at all the check posts at the Ports, Airports or remote border posts along with India, Afghanistan and Iran.

From now on, hopefully the law enforcing agencies will convert the check posts in facilitating the free movement of people, goods and services without any reservation. Even the innocent people passing through the check posts were forced to pay “Bhatta”. Now those check posts will be ‘Bhatta free’.

It is pity that Balochistan had never been allowed to become a formal economy where people should pay legitimate taxes to the State at different level. For this, the Government will have to regulate the Afghan Transit Trade which is being misused grossly and goods were released and sold within Pakistan and it never reached Afghanistan.

Unscrupulous businessmen and traders are importing goods for Pakistan’s informal market and not for meeting the need of Afghan people. Most of the consignment never crossed the Pakistani border.

In many cases, the deliveries are received at Karachi Port on arrival confirming that they reached deep inside Afghanistan. It is the duty of the Customs officials to ensure that Afghan Transit goods are not sold in the markets of Quetta, Karachi, Lahore and Peshawar.

This leakage should be plugged effectively. Second and more important thing is that Government should encourage and patronize formal trade with Iran by opening dozens of border markets all along 1000 kilometer borders between Iranian and Pakistani Balochistan. Rather there should be a serious move to integrate both the economies if the Government is sincere in curbing smuggling from Iran.

The Iranians had proposed to establish at least 20 border markets where goods from both sides be exchanged. On the contrary, a Pakistani functionary who represented Pakistan in these bilateral talks with Iran opposed the idea and suggested only four or five border markets to the dismay of the people.

To this date, only one such market is operating at the Zero Point on Daftan Border. By developing formal trade with Iran, the smuggling will come down and it will not remain profitable any more.