ISLAMABAD, Aug 6: The government has decided to revoke the customs powers delegated to several agencies in prevention of smuggling across the country. Officials told Dawn on Saturday that the decision was taken at the recommendation of the Federal Anti-Smuggling Coordination Committee in a meeting held recently, which observed that involvement of various agencies in anti-smuggling activities had rather resulted in increasing the menace across the country.

The committee had proposed to the government to withdraw the customs powers from provincial Police Forces, Frontier Constabulary, Frontier Corps Balochistan and NWFP, Pakistan Coast Guards, Punjab and Sindh Rangers.

According to the officials, the government would shortly issue notification to make amendments in the Customs Act 1969 to withdraw the powers delegated to these agencies for anti-smuggling activities.

Following this, the officials said that the anti-smuggling powers would only be available to Central Board of Revenue (CBR), which would establish check-posts at border and FATA for eradicating the menace. The customs intelligence wing of the CBR would now only be responsible for the anti-smuggling activities, added the officials.

The officials said that the overlapping of responsibility in certain cases due to the presence of several agencies at a single place was also hampering normal activities. They added that Pakistan Coast Guards had been authorized to operate on Karachi Port despite the fact that Customs was already operating there.

They said there were complaints that after clearance of authorized imports by customs, the Pakistan Coast Guards still had its way on such goods to the detriment of the business community.

The committee also proposed installation of scanners at the joint check posts and incentives for anti-smuggling agencies. The committee proposed to the ministry of interior to consider deleting provisions relating to customs act, 1969 from the schedule to the FIA Act, 1975.

The officials said that it was also decided to pursue vigorously the raising of fences and check posts along the Pak-Iran boarder on isolated places to curb smuggling across the porous border.

It decided that in future no law enforcement personnel would raid markets for seizure of edible items except the recovery of narcotic and arms and it would be ensured that harassment of public was avoided at all cost.

A sub-committee was also constituted under the additional secretary interior to review the existing laws, overlapping of duties of various departments and the Rahdari system in bordering areas.