November 29, 2001	Thursday	Ramazan 13, 1422

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PESHAWAR, Nov 28: The customs collectorate, Peshawar, confiscated over 50 non-duty paid vehicles from the different parts of the province during the last five months reflecting the grater extent at which the business of smuggled vehicles is being carried out in NWFP, according to official sources.

“Some 10 vehicles, mostly passenger carrying Toyota Hiace, were impounded during the current month involving a total market value of over Rs7m,” said the official sources.

The market value of the total number of non-duty paid vehicles confiscated during the current financial year has been evaluated at about Rs35m. The vehicles were confiscated under section 157 of the Customs Act.

Cases were registered against the owners of non-duty paid vehicles after investigations, carried out by the customs authorities, revealed that the vehicles had either been registered with the provincial motor vehicle registration authorities by presenting fake bill of entry [customs documents] or, in some cases, the chassis number [of the smuggled vehicles] were found to be tempered.

According to official sources, despite the fact that the provincial and federal governments tried to control the spread of non-duty paid vehicles, the menace could not be curbed.

The Federally Administered Tribal Areas and NWFP’s Malakand division forming the Provincially Administered Tribal Areas still contain considerably a larger number of smuggled vehicles due mainly to the government agencies’ incapability and failure to put effective hand on the people involved in the illegal business.

In tribal areas like North and South Waziristan agencies and Kurram agency in Fata the business of non-duty paid vehicles is carried out right under the nose of the political authorities.

In Miramshah, the agency headquarters of North Waziristan agency the bargain centres that deal in smuggled vehicles are functioning in an area right close to the centre of the militia force and offices of the political administration.

“Though political authorities have been issuing notices to the owners of the bargain centres and the owners of non-duty paid vehicles to get their vehicles legitimised least response was meted out to such efforts,” said the official sources, adding “due to law and order consideration political authorities never put strong hand on the violators of law”.

The vehicles confiscated during the current financial year involve a number of passenger carrying Toyota Hiaces. “Some of these were caught when these were being shifted to Punjab,” said a senior officer of the customs collectorate, Peshawar.