A godown in Peshawar was the scene of a raid on November 9, where the police discovered Rs60 million in counterfeit currency and arrested three members of a gang. Further investigation will reveal the exact charges against the men but it will be important for anyone who dealt with the group to come forward and provide testimony. Details are sketchy but we expect that owing to the large sum of counterfeit currency gathered from the scene, several people may have been cheated or were soon set to be scammed. Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa law enforcement needs to practise strict vigilance as the case unfolds, having built up its reputation and civilian expectations somewhat in the last half-decade.
According to the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) 489A-D, the maximum penalty for printing counterfeit currency is life imprisonment. However, the PPC outlines offences for counterfeiting, possessing, using, and making instruments to make fake currency. Although these laws are not new, implementation in the past has been soft and talk of fake currency floating in the market has been perpetual. Should the gang members in this case be able to prove they merely possessed the currency, their prison term could be reduced to seven years but unless these men are made examples out of, the micro-and macro-scale corruption will continue to decay our moral standing.
It must also be popularised that possessing and using counterfeit currency is a crime. The aloof senior citizen lady, for example, should know the possible consequences for possessing such currency. Literate or not, the law applies to everyone and its ignorance cannot be used as an excuse for disobedience. Conversely, however, awareness also needs to spread on what procedures to follow to report corruption. Lackadaisical attitudes when it comes to law enforcement have bred a large number of gangs that engage in wrongdoing knowing they may never have to face any consequences. This pattern has to be stopped with greater responsibility placed on citizens to confidently report concerns.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 11th, 2018.
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