QUETTA: Pakistan Customs have seized huge quantities of US dollars and Pakistani currency being smuggled between Afghanistan and Pakistan and arrested five people involved in illegal transfer of the currency, officials said on Tuesday.

A spokesman for the Quetta Customs Collectorate said the authorities with the help of army personnel deployed at Afghan border foiled as many as three attempts to smuggle foreign and Pakistani currency in a single day at Friendship Gate at Chaman.

Customs staff intercepted a suspect travelling to Pakistan from Afghanistan and during the search recovered over US $100,000 at Friendship Gate, which he was carrying illegally and transferring to Pakistan. “Customs seized $103,400 which he was transferring illegally from Afghanistan,” Dr Attaullah Baloch said, adding that the suspect was arrested.

In another operation at the Chaman border, the customs staff seized Rs1.59 million from the possession of another person entering Pakistan from the Afghanistan.

Besides, three Pakistanis were arrested for smuggling Rs3,519,277 into Afghanistan from Chaman border through the Friendship Gate. The currency was seized by the customs officials.

“FIRs have been registered against all the five persons on charges of smuggling foreign and Pakistani currency,” the spokesman said, adding that further investigation was in progress.

The Federal Board of Reverence and finance ministry have directed customs and other concerned authorities to take strict measures for the stopping the smuggling foreign and Pakistani currency to Afghanistan.

Published in Dawn, December 14th, 2022