Smugglers’ paradise

Smuggling is one of the major ills of our country. This kind of wrongdoing is performed in different areas of the country, but especially in Balochistan. Quetta, the provincial capital, is regarded as the hub of smuggled cars. According to reports, most of these cars are smuggled in from Afghanistan. Although the authorities regularly carry out raids against the smugglers, the practice of buying smuggled cars has become part and parcel of life in Pakistan. Owing to the heavy duties on legally imported vehicles and the widely held perception that locally made vehicles are of inferior quality, many Pakistanis wilfully patronize this criminal practice.

All this smuggling is causing tremendous financial damage to our country by undermining the tax-collection system. What people save by buying a smuggled car they for in the form of garbage on the streets, overflowing gutters, lack of schools and an overall poor public services system. Therefore, there should be a rigid crackdown against this malpractice. The motor-transport department must launch an awareness campaign highlighting the true impact of buying smuggled vehicles.

Mohsin Mumtaz

Chiniot