Govt Identifies 31 Customs Officials Facilitating Wheat Smuggling

The federal government has identified 31 Customs officials involved in facilitating the smuggling of essential commodities including wheat.

Sources told ProPakistani that the Ministry of Interior has forwarded a list of 31 officials including one Additional Deputy Customs (ADC) posted in Quetta involved in facilitating smuggling of essential commodities including wheat.

MoI has asked the Chairman FBR to take action as an actionable intelligence report has been shared with all provincial governments and the Chairman FBR to take necessary actions against the wheat hoarders.

The MoI has also shared a list of important middlemen and owners of floor mills across Pakistan, the location of Godowns of hoarded essential food commodities, a list of smugglers and interprovincial routes, a list of officials involved in smuggling, a list of corrupt officials in collusion with smugglers in Balochistan and list of smugglers in Balochistan involved in smuggling of sugar to Afghanistan.

Sources said that MoI in October 2023 asked the provincial government as well as Chairman FBR to take action against the culprits under the rules however FBR did not share any report with MoI on this matter.

Now the Secretary Enforcement and Coordination Customs FBR on April 27, 2024, has shared the Intelligence report against the smuggling of essential commodities with the Chief Collector of Customs Balochistan and the Director Head Quarter Directorate of I&I Customs Islamabad and asked the Chief Collector Customs Balochistan to furnish fact-finding report on May 3, 2024.