Daily Times

Sir: Smuggling is big business in Peshawar. The Peshawar Karkhano market is the base of all smugglers, who store smuggled goods from Afghanistan in the large plazas, from where it is transported to other areas in Pakistan. According to one estimate, these smugglers earn profits of five million rupees daily, while they pay two million rupees daily to the customs and police authorities that guard the routes used by these smugglers.

Although the customs authorities have check-posts on these roads, each day one can observe smugglers taking smuggled goods on bicycles and motorbikes, right in front of the customs check-posts.

These smugglers use public transport vehicles, bicycle riders and motorbike riders to transport smuggled goods. Each item being smuggled is recorded in registers kept by the gatekeepers of these plazas. These registers can be used by the customs authorities to track down all smuggled goods quite easily. Recently, a news channel in Peshawar highlighted the ineffectiveness of the customs teams but even then they are not stopping the smugglers. I think that the government should request the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to observe and assess the workings of the customs authorities and take action against all corrupt officials who do not act against these smugglers.

SHAHRYAR KHAN BASEER

Peshawar