Standing committee meeting: Traders urge stricter checks along borders

Want officials to tighten grip over smuggling

ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Commerce has asked concerned authorities to avoid harassing Balochistan traders by conducting “unnecessary” raids on their markets and homes and restrict duties only to border checkposts.

The committee suggested customs officials to tighten their grip over around the borders of Torkham, Chaman and Ghulam Khan.

The committee also alleged that smuggled goods entered the province with the connivance of customs officials.

“We recommend taking effective measures at border checkposts instead of unnecessarily harassing the business community in markets and cities,” said Senator Shibli Fraz.

He said the system has always had loopholes, which protected the rich and victimised the poor. “A single agency must be allowed to deal with border trade issues.

“Border trade must be formalised and regularised to help both the government and the traders to boost the national economy,” he added.

“All the key law-enforcing agencies are involved in smuggling of goods to and from the country,” said Baloch Senator Usman Tarakai.  “I can say on the record that all key law enforcing agencies are involved in this dirty business,” he stressed.

He further added that weapons and drugs were freely smuggled to the country via these borders without any check. “Why does the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) not bring border trade under the ‘formal business’ category by relaxing regulations rather than promoting smuggling?” he questioned.

“This will not only promote transparent trade, but will also help in increasing revenue through taxes’, he noted.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 15^th, 2016.

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