Several high-profile people may lose jobs: CJ
Chief Justice of Pakistan expresses dissatisfaction over the performance of customs officials.
ISLAMABAD:
Everyone is busy in looting the national wealth, Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry remarked on Monday during the hearing of a suo motu case of liquor smuggling in North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) containers.
“Whoever is involved in this will be dealt with an iron hand and will also lose their jobs,” the chief justice remarked. He was presiding over a three-member bench also comprising Justice Tariq Pervez and Justice Ghulam Rabbani on liquor smuggling in containers which are meant to carry ammunition, food and other necessities for Nato forces in Afghanistan.
Capital police officials and customs authorities submitted their reports before the bench. Member customs Munir Qureshi said that the containers had National Logistics Cell’s (NLC) no-objection certificates when stopped by the authorities, adding that “Nato supplies are [transported] only through the railways and the NLC and not checked as a routine. However, 15 per cent of the supplies are checked through tracker machines.”
Qureshi added that some private transporters are also being used by the NLC to supply goods to Nato forces because of shortage of official vehicles.
“Even explosives can be shipped in Nato’s name,” Justice Chaudhry remarked, adding that “liquor containers had reached Islamabad from Karachi and nobody checked them.”
“Why don’t the custom officials check the whole container?” Justice Tariq Pervez asked the customs official who said that according to the Afghan Transit Trade, goods are checked through the tracker system. Containers are not checked between Karachi and the Afghan border in connivance with the police and customs officials and because of this smuggling, the economy is being devastated, the chief justice observed.
Several high-profile people are likely to lose their jobs in this case, he added, saying that both the customs and police officials should prevent such smuggling.
The hearing was adjourned till September 23 when a detailed report was expected to be ready.
Published in The Express Tribune September 21st, 2010.
Everyone is busy in looting the national wealth, Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry remarked on Monday during the hearing of a suo motu case of liquor smuggling in North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) containers.
“Whoever is involved in this will be dealt with an iron hand and will also lose their jobs,” the chief justice remarked. He was presiding over a three-member bench also comprising Justice Tariq Pervez and Justice Ghulam Rabbani on liquor smuggling in containers which are meant to carry ammunition, food and other necessities for Nato forces in Afghanistan.
Capital police officials and customs authorities submitted their reports before the bench. Member customs Munir Qureshi said that the containers had National Logistics Cell’s (NLC) no-objection certificates when stopped by the authorities, adding that “Nato supplies are [transported] only through the railways and the NLC and not checked as a routine. However, 15 per cent of the supplies are checked through tracker machines.”
Qureshi added that some private transporters are also being used by the NLC to supply goods to Nato forces because of shortage of official vehicles.
“Even explosives can be shipped in Nato’s name,” Justice Chaudhry remarked, adding that “liquor containers had reached Islamabad from Karachi and nobody checked them.”
“Why don’t the custom officials check the whole container?” Justice Tariq Pervez asked the customs official who said that according to the Afghan Transit Trade, goods are checked through the tracker system. Containers are not checked between Karachi and the Afghan border in connivance with the police and customs officials and because of this smuggling, the economy is being devastated, the chief justice observed.
Several high-profile people are likely to lose their jobs in this case, he added, saying that both the customs and police officials should prevent such smuggling.
The hearing was adjourned till September 23 when a detailed report was expected to be ready.
Published in The Express Tribune September 21st, 2010.