Sir: This government has been making tall claims of curbing smuggled luxury items but actions and ground realities betray all this empty rhetoric. Smuggled Indian confectionary items, like sweets, nimco, biscuits, packed food items, shampoo are openly displayed and sold by big retailers in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad. Moreover, there are wholesale markets selling Indian-made chewing tobacco gutkha, which is banned in Pakistan. Similar is situation in Karachi and Islamabad, where big retailers sell Indian products although similar Pakistani items are available. This reflects upon poor governance and the fact that corrupt state institutions created by State to prevent such illegalities are either blind or incompetent and party to such irregularities. We can understand essential imports of mechanical spareparts for factories where Indian-made machines are installed but not such unnecessary items like those being sold by big retailers. MALIK TARIQ Lahore