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Govt moves against timber smuggling

By Ikram Hoti


The government is taking action against timber smuggling by removing Frontier Constabulary, Levies and police from the routes of timber transportation from Afghanistan to Punjab.

The way for creating a Pakistan Customs Station on this route at Shahai in NWFP has been cleared by the superior courts declaring the activities of these three elements as illegal and extortionist.

To prevent smuggling of Pakistani timber and deforestation in NWFP, these three elements have been on routine check on the Afghanistan-Punjab route in the tribal belt touching the Malakand area (Provincially Administered Tribal Area-PATA).

Customs station now being created would be authorised to check the smuggling as the sole body allowing transportation only on import permit. The FC, levies and the police currently imposed an illegal duty on the imported timber by accusing importer of each and every truckload of including the locally procured timber which is causing deforestation in NWFP.

Timber importers have been pleading with the relevant authorities against this practice pointing out that the prices were pushed beyond marketing levels by these elements whose extortion on the route had touched impossible proportions.

 



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