A sub-committee of the Senate Standing Committee on Interior, chaired by Senator Saifullah Abro, on Monday took up the alleged theft of 2,828 cartons of seized cigarettes worth Rs. 250 million from warehouses of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), raising serious concerns over the handling, storage, and oversight of confiscated goods.
FBR officials told the panel that six trucks carrying 1,262 cartons of cigarettes were seized in Swabi on January 14, 2024. The committee questioned why the seized goods were later shifted to two separate warehouses.
Responding to queries from Senator Talha Mahmood, officials said the goods were moved due to space constraints — four trucks to one location and two to another. However, members expressed alarm that the cigarettes were transferred from a monitored facility to a warehouse lacking CCTV surveillance.
Officials admitted the disappearance of the cartons was only discovered on May 7, 2025, while an FIR was registered on May 21, 2025, at Swabi Police Station before the matter was referred to the FIA.
Senator Umar Farooq asked whether any other items had gone missing. FBR officials replied in the negative.
The committee was informed that three FBR officers have been dismissed and eight others transferred. None of the dismissed officials is currently in custody.
The panel also noted that a further 20 cartons were reportedly stolen in January 2026, despite the introduction of new SOPs following the earlier incident.
FBR officials said the seized goods belonged to the “Paramount Kisan” brand.
The committee was told that a High Court had ordered a fresh inquiry into the case. Following the court’s directives, the seized trucks were released after fines were imposed, while the cigarettes remained in official custody.
Terming the matter serious, the committee directed the FBR to submit, within two days, complete details of the case, records of all officers involved, and a 10-year enforcement record of Customs and FBR actions related to seized goods.
If FBR can’t even secure its warehouses, how are we expected to believe financial data of all Pakistanis are secure in their archives?