July 10, 2008	Thursday	Rajab 6, 1429

PESHAWAR, July 9: Despite tall claims of the government, flour smuggling from various parts of the NWFP is continuing to Afghanistan via different routes, officials and transporters said.

Sources said flour was transported in public transport vehicles to localities closed to border areas, which was then smuggled to Afghanistan either in four-wheelers or on mules and donkeys.

They said some women had also jumped into the field and were supervising flour smuggling at bus stands in Peshawar.

A low-rank police official at the Peshawar Bus Terminal told Dawn that flour smuggling in public transport vehicles was a routine matter and they could do nothing because the “high-ups were hand in glove with the smugglers”.

He said the number of flour bags smuggled on daily basis was in thousands, adding the City District Government of Peshawar had hired 24 retired policemen for checking smuggling in the public transport but they were least bothered to fulfil their duties. He said 1,500 to 2,000 flour bags of 20kg were being smuggled in public transport vehicles only from the Peshawar Bus Terminal and 2,000 to 2,500 bags from the Haji Camp General Bus Stand, saying both the transporters and local police were involved in the illegal trade.

Flour bags, he said, were loaded in trucks at a godown located near the FC Petrol Pump and another street near the General Bus Stand and were sent to other destinations.

When contacted, Sarhad Public Transport Legal Action Committee’s chairman Mr Ihsanullah admitted that thousands of bags of flour were being smuggled via Hangu, Jamrud and other routes to Afghanistan.

He said he himself had asked deputy superintendent of police Ejaz Khan to arrest the smugglers, but he had not taken any action. He said some ‘black sheep’ among transporters were involved in the business, which was bringing bad name to the entire community. “In future, we will forcefully offload flour and distribute it among people on controlled rates,” he said.

DSP Ejaz Khan said police had seized 300 flour bags in the past few days. He added that police took action from time to time against smugglers.

“Flour is being smuggled from the vegetable market on the Inqilab Road, which is loaded in trucks under corn cobs or vegetable in order to dodge personnel of law-enforcement agencies,” said a corn cob seller.

There are also reports of flour smuggling to Afghanistan via the Samarbagh tehsil of Lower Dir, Mohamand Agency, Bannu and other areas. Local administrations are unable to take action because some known people of the ruling coalition in the NWFP government are reportedly patronising the smugglers.

“We take the risk to go to parts of Afghanistan because the fare we get is many times the actual fare,” said some truckers in the Chakdara area in Lower Dir, adding they had to go via the Bajaur Agency. They said flour was loaded in trucks in different godowns in Lower Dir.