Legal trade of gemstones: Customs to establish special desk at Torkham

Pakistan Customs has agreed for establishment of desk to give legal cover to gemstones transported to Pakistan illegally and increase in the revenue. All Pakistan Commercial Exporters Association (APCEA) has been given assurance that the desk would soon become operational at Torkham border. On the demand of APCEA, Pakistan Customs would write to FATA Secretariat and political administrations of tribal agencies to handover goods to be seized in future to them immediately.
These decisions were taken in a meeting of a delegation of APCEA headed by its chairman, Farhan Khan, Group Leader, Haji Mamoor Khan and former chairman APCEA, Mushtaq Ahmad which held meeting with Collector Customs, Qurban Ali Khan, Additional Collectors, Fazal Samad, Yousaf Haider Orakzai and Deputy Collector, Headquarters, Mohammad Zakir. The APCEA delegation during their meeting with customs officials demanded the establishment of desk to give legal cover to gemstone import at Torkham border, saying that though Afghanistan had banned the export of gemstone, but it still coming to Pakistan.
They said that whenever that gemstone seized by political administration or personnel of Frontier Corps (FC), they took it into possession, which irrespective of any ban is released about hectic efforts.