The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has delegated anti-smuggling powers to Pakistan Rangers, Frontier Corps Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for the prevention of the smuggling of essential commodities at Inter-Provincial Joint Check Posts (IPJCPs).
The FBR issued SRO.(I)/521(I)/2023 on Wednesday to amend No. S.R.O. 901(1)/2023 relating to the anti-smuggling powers to law enforcement agencies.
The inter-provincial joint check-posts (IPJCPs) and joint checkpoints have been notified to enforce laws against smuggling and hoarding concerning essential commodities like sugar, urea, wheat, and wheat flour.
Now, the Pakistan Rangers and Frontier Corps can exercise anti-smuggling powers at the IPJCP with customs officials posted at these check posts.
According to the revised notification, the FBR has entrusted to the officers of the Pakistan Rangers, Frontier Corps Balochistan (North/South) and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (North/South) for smuggled goods, other than notified essential commodities, the functions shall be performed within fifty kilometers of the International borders and at Inter-Provincial Joint Check Posts (IPJCPs) and Joint Check Posts (JCPs) as notified by the Ministry of Interior. However, the areas excluded are the city municipal limits, customs areas, customs stations, ports, border customs stations, international airports, and bonded warehouses, etc.
The FBR has also empowered the officers of the Pakistan Rangers, Frontier Corps Balochistan (North/South) and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (North/South) to exercise anti-smuggling powers for the prevention of smuggling of essential commodities in the bordering districts of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa adjoining Afghanistan including within city municipal limits, and at Inter-Provincial Joint Check Posts (IPJCPs) and Joint Check Posts (JCPs) as notified by the Ministry of Interior.
The IPJCPs and JCPs of the customs department as well as Pakistan Rangers/Frontier Corps would curb the smuggling of essential and other prone commodities within and outside Pakistan from November 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024.
