Pakistan’s Senate Standing Committee on Interior on Monday raised serious questions over the Customs Department’s handling of a cigarette seizure case and the performance of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), while allegations of bribery against the tax authority also came under discussion.
The committee, chaired by Senator Saifullah Abro, reviewed the cigarette seizure case, the Customs operation and the role of the FBR during its meeting.
Committee members also expressed concern over the absence of the Federal Secretary for Interior. Responding to the criticism, the Joint Secretary of the Interior Ministry informed the committee that a new secretary had recently been appointed and would attend future meetings after assuming charge.
During the proceedings, Chairman Abro referred to a recent statement by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, saying that if the minister himself had stated that “everything has been destroyed,” there was little left to be said.
Briefing the committee, Customs officials said the seized trucks remained in their custody and that Customs had alerted the Motorway Police after suspecting the cigarettes were smuggled.
However, Senator Talha Mahmood disputed the claim, arguing that the matter fell under sales tax rather than Customs jurisdiction. He also questioned allegations that the cigarettes had been smuggled from Afghanistan, noting that the border remained closed.
Customs officials further informed the committee that no individual had been nominated in the case. Chairman Abro questioned why the names of relatives of Senator Faisal Saleem had appeared in media reports despite the absence of evidence against any individual.
The committee directed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to immediately investigate how the news report linking the senator emerged. It also instructed investigators to record statements from officials of the FBR, Customs and the Motorway Police.
Chairman Abro sought a report by the end of the day, directing the FIA to determine the ownership of the seized cigarettes and the circumstances surrounding the media coverage.
Senator Dilawar also objected to the case, stating that if the recovered cigarettes were not smuggled, authorities should explain why his name had been associated with the matter.
