SC told: Rs870m collected at Torkham border crossing this year

Two commission members have endorsed this report

ISLAMABAD:

Several members of the commission on human trafficking have told the Supreme Court that customs staff deputed at the Torkham border have been able to intercept and seize contraband goods worth millions of rupees as well as collect duties and taxes in millions.

Four other members of the commission, constituted for checking the situation at Chaman and Torkham, bordering Afghanistan, submitted a report pertaining to the Torkham border.

Just the other day, Omar Farooq Adam, additional advocate general in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and one of the members of the commission, presented a report in his personal capacity – much to the consternation of the other commission members including Additional Attorney General Muhammad Waqar Rana.



Citing an unnamed intelligence official at the Torkham border, Adam claimed that undocumented revenue generated between Torkham border, Bara and hawala/hundi market of Chowk Yadgar stands at between Rs5 and Rs6 billion per month.

However, according to the report submitted by Waqar Rana, the duty and taxes collected during 2013-14 is Rs2,716.80 million, 2014-15 Rs3,486.22 million and 2015-16 Rs870.52 million at the Torkham border. Two members, director FIA Jaffar Shah and Dr Zubair from customs department, have endorsed his report.

It is also said that during July-August 2013-14 Rs460.60 million were collected in duty and taxes while during 2014-15 Rs 592.90 million were collected as duty and taxes.

In 2014-15, customs seized narcotics from commercial cargo – 5.5kg heroin and 26kg of hashish. The driver was also arrested.

During 2013-14 goods worth of Rs20.84 million in six cases were confiscated while during the year 2014-15 offending goods worth of Rs24.96 million were confiscated in 13 cases.



The court was also informed that the federal government has started a project Integrated Transit Trade Management System (ITTMS) with the assistance of Asian Development Bank.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that only government officers, employees of NGOs, big businessmen and people who want to travel onwards to other foreign destinations from Pakistan cross border with valid documents.

The number of such passengers is reported to be approximately 600-700 on a daily basis.

Currently, around 15,000 people cross the Torkham border every day.

Since no record of the passengers travelling without valid documents is kept, their numbers are based on estimates. It has been observed that most of the pedestrian traffic (around 99%) cross border without any documentation, the report stated.

The court was also informed that the UNHCR, in its report published in 2009 mentioned that around 50,000 persons cross the Torkham border every day.

However, the higher numbers previously were due to heavy movement of Afghan refugees.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 3^rd,  2015.