The body was asked to visit both the border sites and examine the security situation and the immigration process. PHOTO: FILE
ISLAMABAD:
An intelligence official has revealed that illegal trade worth Rs72 billion a year is being carried out at a border post that Pakistan shares with Afghanistan, underscoring government officials’ negligence that has been threatening the country’s security.
Last month, the Supreme Court had formed a commission, headed by Additional Attorney General Waqar Ahmad Rana, with Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Law Director Jafar Shah, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Additional Advocate General Umar Farooq, the Balochistan assistant advocate general and a representative of the customs department as members.
The body was asked to visit both the border sites and examine the security situation and the immigration process.
Rana told a three-judge bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice Jawwad S Khawaja, on Tuesday that the commission had returned the previous night and had been unable to compile the report.
Read: Pak-Afghan: Trade discrepancies decreased, need to do more
Farooq, however, submitted his own report that made some startling revelations. Interestingly, other members of the body, including Rana, expressed reservations over his version and requested the bench to grant them a day’s time to file their report.
According to Farooq’s report, an intelligence official working at the Torkham border has revealed that undocumented economy was being generated between Torkham and Bara. He also put the hawala/hundi market of Chowk Yadgar at Rs5 billion to Rs6 billion a month.
The report said that around 15,000 to 30,000 people cross the Torkham border daily from either direction. “Only 0.1% of the pedestrians and vehicle passengers are randomly checked.”
Farooq’s version also said the SIM cards used in the Peshawar Army Public School attack were bought in Torkham. “They were used once in Torkham and then during the attack.”
The report said goods worth millions of dollars were seized at the Torkham border every month, but there is no record of them. “Illegal trade from Torkham border alone is between Rs100 million and Rs150 million a day. If customs officials detain a person, he pays at least Rs1.5 million to transfer the case to the political administration.”
Regarding the FIA’s performance at the Torkham border, Farooq said the agency had been maintaining only a symbolic presence there since 2004. “The FIA has no record of Pakistanis or foreigners entering or leaving the country, except those who voluntarily get their passports stamped.” The report also said there was no department to control entry and exit at the Torkham border.
After going through the report, the bench expressed serious reservations over the security situation at the border.
Read: Pak-US: Looking to enhance two-way trade
On the one hand, the CJ said, the country is fighting terrorism and on the other there is no check on the 15,000 to 30,000 people crossing the border. “The situation is alarming.”
The court also gave the FBR chairman, the FIA chief and the AGP a week’s time to explain what measures the government was taking to control border movement.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 2nd, 2015.
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