LAHORE: Former LCCI president and LPG Association of Pakistan chairman Farooq Iftikhar has urged the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and Customs authorities to make the vigilance system effective on borders as rising smuggling of LPG is causing huge losses to the national economy.

“It is a matter of concern both for the local LPG industry and the public safety,” he said in a statement here on Friday.

Mr Iftikhar said the smuggling of LPG was increasing sharply from Taftan and Mand borders in connivance with some corrupt elements of the departments concerned.

He said smuggling could not be eliminated but the increase to a level where it had far reaching effects on the economy of Pakistan was beyond our comprehension. He said the daily consumption of LPG in Pakistan varied from 1,700MT to 2,300MT approximately.

Around 1,300 to 1,400MT were produced locally and the rest was imported either through Karachi seaport or through Taftan and Mand borders in Balochistan, he said.

Mr Iftikhar said that a perusal of Customs record would show a vast difference in the legally-imported quantity through Karachi seaport and the officially custom cleared bowsers from Mand and Taftan and the country’s consumption.

He said that around 500MT per day of LPG came from Mand and Taftan of which only 20pc was properly cleared and the rest smuggled and sold all over Pakistan.

This smuggled LPG was transported to other cities using official documents of cleared bowsers repeatedly, he said.

Published in Dawn, November 29th , 2014