How can trafficking be prevented?

Some time ago, a report compiled by a team of Harvard economists and senior officials of Pakistan's Ministry of Commerce stated that the volume of smuggling of a dozen essential commodities in Pakistan has reached 3.3 billion dollars annually.

More worryingly, the Pakistani authorities failed to seize 95% of the goods. This estimate is only for a dozen essential items. If the smuggling of other essential commodities is accounted for, the matter increases a lot.

A few years ago, another report was seen, according to which, between 2014 and 2018, there was a threefold increase in smuggling from neighbouring countries. According to the report, the smuggled goods reached different sectors of Pakistan. In it, oil, mobile phones and large quantities of tea reached Pakistani markets illegally.

According to an estimate, 74 percent of the mobile phones sold in Pakistan reach here through illegal trade. 53% of diesel sold here, 43% of engine oil, 40% of tires and 16% of auto parts are also the result of illegal trade.

23% of tea and 20% of cigarettes sold in Pakistani markets are also smuggled goods. Three lakh tons of cloth was also smuggled. You will also be surprised to know that drugs worth Rs 44 billion also entered the market of Pakistan through illegal trade. From this it can be estimated how large quantities of goods enter Pakistan without paying duties. As a result, Pakistan has to bear a loss of billions of rupees.

Why does trafficking happen?

Everyone knows that smuggling is actually an illegal trade in which people involved export essential goods from the country without paying taxes and duties to the government. They also import essential goods in the same manner. Smuggling involves people on both sides of borders who take responsibility for transporting goods to buyers and sellers.

In return they charge some amount which is less than customs duty etc. In this way, a few people stabilise their trade by avoiding taxes and duties, but as a result, the country's economy has to bear heavy losses.

Of course, in some countries, people are forced into smuggling because their governments impose high taxes and duties. However, even if those governments later reduce the duties, the smugglers have become so accustomed to trade through smuggling that they are not willing to pay customs duties as a dhole.

Trafficking has a long and controversial history. Smuggling was first mentioned in England in the 13th century AD. When King Edward introduced the 'National Customs Collection System' in 1275.

He imposed heavy taxes on the export of wool and animal skins, resulting in smuggling. Then the traders also started smuggling goods that were banned from trade. In those days, the export of wheat was also banned in England. The government feared that if wheat was exported, its price would rise in the local markets and it would face a shortage, resulting in wheat smuggling. Even now, such restrictions are imposed in every region of the world, resulting in increased smuggling.

In the 18th century, the government of England earned huge revenue through customs duties. In fact, he imposed a 30 percent customs duty on imports of tea, cloth, liquor and spirits.

As a result these things became very expensive there. In such a situation, goods started coming and going there through smuggling. This period has been described as the 'golden age' of smuggling in Britain. Although the government at the time tried to curb it by making it a serious crime, it soon realised that it was not possible to stop trafficking through punishments alone.

Disadvantages of Trafficking

Because governments lose a lot of revenue through smuggling, they consider it a serious crime. Such criminals are given heavy fines and long prison sentences. On the other hand, according to economists around the world, smuggling is a poison killer for any country's industry, especially local production. It does not allow the industry to flourish in any case. Obviously, when the smuggled goods from outside will be sold at cheap prices in the local markets, who will buy the local produce at relatively high prices!

Pakistan went through a huge crisis in the seventies and eighties. In the 70s, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto nationalised the industry, although our industry was growing at that time. Pakistan's high-quality production was largely not only meeting local demand but also going abroad, but nationalisation sank the entire industry. Later, the Afghan war brought with it a huge storm of smuggling into Pakistan. It also slowly killed our industry.

What is the nature of smuggling in Pakistan?

There are different types of smuggling that take place here. The first type is cross-border smuggling. This is happening in three ways. Via Quetta, Chaman border. Through Iran is the Makran border, and the Kham border is Peshawar. This type of smuggling has two parts. First category, goods that come directly from Afghanistan to Pakistan. The second type is quite technical and dangerous.

As Afghanistan is landlocked, consequently our port is used for Afghanistan's imports and exports. Our customs officials etc. look into this matter. When a container leaves for Afghanistan with cargo from the port of Karachi, the cargo is taken out on the way. Then the empty container would go to the Afghan border and come back after getting stamped. Sometimes it also happens that your container contains goods that are subject to higher duty rates but the smugglers declare them as low duty goods.

How can trafficking be prevented?

In Pakistan, the system of punishment and punishment for smuggling is very strange. Here, an FIR is registered on a person, some of his belongings are confiscated and that's it! Case over. However, people involved in smuggling need to be given strict punishments. For example, the identity card of the trafficker or his facilitator should be blocked for at least ten years.

So that no one can open a bank account or install a metre for electricity or any such facility. His NTN should be terminated, his company should be blocked. He could not do any business or take any loan in any way.

Who is involved in smuggling?

The main role in the entire smuggling network can be a Pakistani, an Afghani or an Iranian. In addition, there are facilitators in the network such as customs officials. If goods from Afghanistan enter Pakistan through the Chaman border, they have to pass through five to seven check posts to reach Punjab.

Officials there also join this network. Therefore, the financial affairs of each customs official should be regularly reviewed to see how much his assets have increased. The assets of his wife, children and other family members should be checked. It should be seen that he does not have any Benami assets. He should be forced to submit the statements of his assets every year. A formal separate wing should be created for the investigation of his cases.

Transporters are also involved in the smuggling network, they know very well whether the goods they are carrying are smuggled or normal. He charges high rent for smuggling goods. That is why he is a part of this mafia.

If any transporter is caught carrying smuggled goods, not only the smuggled goods but also his vehicle or truck etc. will be confiscated, the driving licence of the driver will be suspended for 10 years, similarly the licence of the bus stand will also be terminated. Be done from where he started his journey.

Pakistan's wholesale markets are also a part of this network. For example, one of the major markets of Pakistan is Sher Shah Karachi, where auto parts come. From here we get 'cable engines' for vehicles. A cable engine is a smuggled engine. Other markets include Karkhano Market in Peshawar and Bilal Gunj Market in Lahore. Rawalpindi also has markets for cable engines etc. The Customs Intelligence people have full knowledge of the activities of smugglers in these markets, they raid a few shops every now and then.

Similarly, other wholesale markets also receive and sell smuggled goods. For example Jodia Bazar in Karachi, Shah Alam Market in Lahore, Raja Bazaar in Rawalpindi, Karkhano Market in Peshawar, Faisalabad also have a market. Here come different types of goods related to different sectors.

Small retailers or vendors are also part of this network. For example, auto parts shops, as well as other retail shops of various sectors. Here the shopkeepers themselves tell different prices for different types of goods. When they are asked why the price of such and such goods is low? They say that it is smuggled goods. Or it is said that it is 'Kabuli Mall'. Pakistan also has great ceramic tiles which are actually smuggled from Iran.

They are standard and cheap too. When its quality and price are compared with other imported tiles, there is a world difference between the two. Such retailer's networks can be accessed by asking for a money trail.

Most of the smuggling of petroleum products in Pakistan is through Iran. Some time ago, in the Senate committee, the petroleum companies revealed that if the smuggling of Iranian petrol and diesel ends, the Pakistani economy will lose 200 billion rupees annually. Can be saved. It is a sad fact that many of our important people are involved in the smuggling of Iranian petrol who are posted in important positions of various institutions. Thus, these people or others connected with them are economically better off but the country and its economy are weakened.

There is a need for legislation and strict punishment in this regard as well. If the petrol pump where smuggled petrol is being sold, that place should be confiscated. The identity card of its owner should be confiscated and the NTN should be terminated. Unless the penalties are tough, smuggling cannot end. Our customs department should have a 'smuggling trace and track system', a software to collect records of people caught in smuggling. The need is that whatever case of smuggling is caught, it should be taken to its logical end, and China should not sit down until the entire network involved in it is controlled.

Along with punishments, there is a need for rewards. If a case is caught by a customs intelligence team, ten percent of the total value of the smuggled goods recovered should be distributed to the team. They put their hands on the smugglers risking their lives. By getting the reward, where that team will be more motivated, other teams will also work hard in this matter.

Border Trade Markets, a key anti-trafficking strategy

It is reiterated that the problem will not end with severe punishments alone, some other measures will have to be adopted. The first objective of this initiative was to show the smugglers the way to legal trade, secondly, as a result of the prevention of trafficking, the affected poor people of the area were also taught a legal way of life. Under this project, it has been decided to establish a total of 18 border trade markets on the border of Iran and Afghanistan.

6 along the Iran border while 12 markets on the Afghan border (in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa). As the first pilot project of these border trade markets, work has started in Chidgi at Mandardig Panjgur in Gwadar catchment.

There is a dire need for such joint markets at the borders to end smuggling. The goods coming here must be sold after paying the regular customs duty so that the customs duty here is reduced. Years ago, one such example was established in the form of a joint Pakistan-India dry port at the Wagah border in Lahore. Here businessmen from both countries used to come with trucks, customs duty was paid promptly and the goods were immediately shifted to the other side.

Other similar measures to prevent smuggling may also be considered. It is a continuous process, through which the larger goal can be achieved.