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.
