"Check posts which were abolished during the Nawaz Sharif regime have not been restored as yet. He therefore, sought FPCCI support in restoring and updating them to Customs Stations headed by a senior official of at least Assistant Collectors rank throughout the country". This was stated by Khawar Farid Maneka, Collector Customs Preventive during his visit to Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI).
Sheikh Shakeel Ahmed Dhingra, Begum Salma Ahmed Vice Presidents of FPCCI, Saquib Fayyaz Magoon, Chairman FPCCI Standing Committee on Anti Smuggling and other members of FPCCI were also present in the meeting. The Collector Customs Preventive disclose, "Out of the total size of smuggling, about 75 percent of the goods used to smuggle through Afghanistan which has now been shifted to Bunder Abbass, mainly due to lesser port handling charges as compared to other ports in the region".
Earlier Iqbal Dawood Pakwala, Acting President FPCCI in his welcome address stressed the need to curb smuggling as it is a twin menace which is eating vital of economic fabrics of the country. Sheikh Shakeel Ahmed Dhingra, Vice President FPCCI underscored the need to address the attitude of buyers and create awareness, among the consumers through advertisement on print and electronic media and conducting seminars about not to buy smuggled products including medicines as its contents include pork.
Saquib Fayyaz Magoon, Chairman FPCCI Standing Committee on Anti Smuggling said that smuggling of livestocks from Pakistan to Afghanistan is not only causing shortage of meat but also hides and skins, a basic raw material consumed by the tanning industry for the production of high value added leather and leather goods, which is main source of earning precious foreign exchange of our country.-PR