PMIC names customs officials involved in smuggling

PESHAWAR: A shocking investigation by the Prime Minister’s Inspection Commission (PMIC) has uncovered a widespread smuggling network involving senior customs officials and private individuals across Pakistan. The inquiry, initiated following intelligence reports, reveals deep-rooted corruption, negligence, and weak supervision within the Customs Department, leading to significant revenue losses and illegal trade activities.

According to a cautious estimate, the national exchequer suffers an annual loss of $3 billion, and illegal trade is encouraged.

A letter of the Prime Minister’s Inspection Commission, F.No.1(2)/Dir./Inq.-Customs/PMIC-2025, was issued on April 3, 2025, to the Prime Minister’s Office. The letter was sent for clarity on the previous communication sent by the PMIC to the PM Office on March 28, 2025. The letter states that the names of the officers have been covered in the main report. However, to clarify the fixation of responsibility, the names of various officers and officials found either involved, with limited involvement, or negligent are listed for the PM office.

The letter says that the second letter sent to the PM Office categorizes the officers into three groups: those who actively participated in or facilitated smuggling operations, those with limited involvement, and those whose weak command and supervision allowed the illegal activities to occur.

When contacted, two officers included in the list stated, on the condition of anonymity, that the allegations were false. They mentioned that they had not yet received any notice or letter regarding any action. They said they will respond accordingly if any notices are received. They asserted that the accusations were made against all officers without evidence and were not related to the facts. They admitted that the commission was conducting an inquiry, but they had not yet been provided with any documents related to the allegations.

The PMIC report named 12 officers who actively participated in or facilitated smuggling operations.

Afnan, Additional Collector (Peshawar); Wajid Additional Collector (Islamabad); Faisal, Additional Collector (Multan); Osama, Assistant Collector (Islamabad); Naeem ,Assistant Collector (Sargodha); Mujtaba ,Superintendent (Faisalabad); Sikandar, Inspector (Dera Ghazi Khan); Mushtaq, Inspector (Lahore); Liaqat Wasli, Inspector (Multan); Waqas, Inspector (Dera Ghazi Khan); and Bakar, UDC (Gilgit). The letter stated that this office requires further scrutiny for additional involvement in smuggling, as UDC Bakar was caught smuggling 210 mobile phones.

The report further included ten officers and officials who had limited involvement in smuggling:

Collector Saud (Multan); Inspector Zia (Multan); Inspector Mohsin (Multan); Inspector Khalid (Islamabad); Inspector Arshad (Islamabad); Inspector Jameel; Attique, Sepoy (Islamabad); and Sepoys Akram, Azmat, and Ishaq (Islamabad).

The third category was weak command and supervision, which included six officers: Collectors Munazza Majeed, Syed Imran Sajjad Bukhari, and Asif Harghan; Maryam Haq, Deputy Collector (Multan); Zaigham, Assistant Collector (Multan); and Ali Raza Shah, Inspector.

This is pertinent that ?Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered an inquiry into a smuggling network involving 78 individuals—including 37 customs officers and 41 private operators—on February 22, 2025, following an intelligence agency’s report on illicit trade operations.