Recently, an inquiry was ordered by the Prime Minister to ascertain if the police had violated diplomatic immunity while seizing a container of imported liquor from outside the residence of the Myanmar Ambassador on October 29 this year.
The diplomat had lodged a complaint with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that the raiding police party trespassed on his residence. The Ambassador of Myanmar claimed that he produced an exemption certificate but still the police seized the liquor and used abusive language with him.
Sources in Islamabad police confirmed that the inquiry was ordered and a report submitted to the office of the Inspector General of Police (IGP) in this regard. However, police rejected all allegations leveled against the raiding party.
The inquiry report replied to the queries of the Prime Minister’s office stating that a formal permission was obtained from senior police officers before seizing the container of imported liquor from outside the Ambassador’s residence.
“If the police had violated the premises then they would have seized thousands of bottles of liquor from inside his residence which had already been off-loaded from the container,” said a police official.
The Ambassador had shown a certificate of exemption issued by the Embassy of Syria. “The amount and brand of liquor mentioned on the certificate was completely different from the brands seized and the number of bottles imported in the container,” the police official added.
The container was opened in the presence of a group of journalists in the Shalimar Police station and the amount of liquor recovered from it was still lying in the police station, the police said.
A total of 2190 bottles of different brands including Absolut Vodka, Blue Label, Black Label, Chivas Regal, Ballantines’ and other brands of imported liquor were seized in the raid while the exemption certificate produced by the Syrian Embassy only granted permission to import just over 790 bottles for personal use and that too of Absolut Vodka only. The exemption certificate and the original brands were seen by The Express Tribune.
“The foreign office unnecessarily bent before the pressure exerted by the diplomatic missions who were openly involved in the black business of liquor,” said a police official.
The police in its reply to the inquiry ordered by the Prime Minster’s office and subsequently by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs maintained that the Ministries of Myanmar, Afghanistan, Kenya and Syria were involved in importing huge quantities of liquor for notorious groups of liquor smugglers.
“It is a fool-proof technique. The container booked in the name of any diplomatic mission is given green chit by the customs authorities at the Karachi port. From the port the container comes straight to the residence of the Ambassador in Islamabad unchecked. It is offloaded at his residence which enjoys diplomatic immunity therefore making the consignment safe,” said a police official who has been carrying out reconnaissance such containers coming to Islamabad.
“Police have received orders, though not in written, not to put their hands on diplomatic consignments in the future,” police official told The Express Tribune.
He said the police are not going to give up on their principle stand of not allowing liquor smuggling into the Federal Capital.
Police intended to recommend to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to take action against the diplomatic missions involved in the business of liquor. Furthermore, they vowed to provide strong evidence against these missions if the foreign office decided to go against them.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 28th, 2010.
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