Govt to link FIA’s CDS with IBMS to curb currency smuggling

The federal government has decided to link the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) Currency Declaration System (CDS) with the country’s Integrated Border Management System (IBMS) in an effort to prevent the smuggling of foreign currencies, the US dollars in particular, and gold to Afghanistan.

It has also decided to make monitoring and enforcement stricter at the border customs stations and airports.

A meeting of the Borders Task Force for Anti-Money Laundering was held at the Customs House in Peshawar.

According to the minutes of the huddle, the task force after detailed consideration of an 11-point agenda, presented its suggestions in the meeting to stop the smuggling of foreign currency and gold.

Apart from Customs officials, representatives of the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF), FC, Civil Aviation Authority, Airport Security Force (ASF), FIA, State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Counter Terrorism Department, security officer of home and tribal affairs, and intelligence agencies participated in the meeting.

The task force recommended the linking of the FIA’s CDS with the country's integrated border management system -- a proposal that the government has decided to implement immediately.

It was also suggested that the Customs personnel at Bacha Khan Airport, Peshawar should be given access to all its areas.

However, after a detailed discussion, it was decided that two Customs officials would be given access to all areas of the airport.

In any case, the issue of giving access to all Customs personnel to the entire airport would be taken up with the ASF headquarters.

The ASF headquarters would make the final decision.

It was also proposed in the meeting that the information about drugs seized by the ANF at border customs stations and airports should be shared with the Customs.

After deliberation on the matter, it was decided that where the joint teams of ANF and Customs would take joint action, its credit would be shared.

If the ANF seized the drugs, it would register the case as was done in the past.

However, if they were seized by the Customs, it would file the case.

It was recommended that the SBP should authorise a branch of the National Bank to issue a currency declaration form.

To this, the meeting was informed that the SBP should set up a special booth at Torkham Border Customs Station to issue currency declaration forms to the exporters.

FC and ANF officials informed that a WhatsApp group had been established by Customs at the Torkham border station.

It was proposed that FC and ANF officials should also be included in the WhatsApp group.

After a detailed review, it was decided that the matter would be taken up with the Customs Collectorate in Peshawar and FC as well as ANF officials would also be included in this WhatsApp group.

According to the document, there was also a delay in the process of verifying the amount received in the form of foreign currency in the export of goods from Pakistan to Afghanistan and Central Asian countries through the land route.

In this case, the meeting was informed that the State Bank branch in Peshawar had already taken up the matter with its headquarters in Karachi so that there was no delay in the verification of export receipts.