CJP says customs officials smuggle vehicles, later seize them

Islamabad: Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa Monday remarked that the customs officials used to smuggle vehicles by taking money themselves and later seized them.

According to the details, a three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Qazi Faez heard the case related to the seizure of a smuggling truck by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa customs authorities, during which the chief justice reprimanded the customs lawyer.

The Chief Justice said: “Neither are you giving arguments in the court and nor talking about the law. Without the knowledge of the customs authorities, the vehicle was caught within 400 km from the Peshawar border. The customs officials first take money to smuggle the vehicles and later seize them themselves”.

Qazi Faez Isa stated that why an inquiry should not be made against the customs department. The truck was made in 1996 and seized in 2016, where did it run for 22 years, where does the smuggling take place. This truck is not a matchbox, customs are not aware where did the truck come from. Go to Peshawar and see how vehicles are smuggled.

He added that the collector of customs should tell what is happening in Pakistan. The customs officials started an unnecessary litigation, the matter reached the Supreme Court and then wasted the time of the courts.

Due to such unnecessary cases, the real cases in the courts cannot be heard, therefore future customs authorities should avoid filing such unnecessary cases, continued CJP.

Meanwhile, Justice Athar Manullah said that when the vehicles are smuggled, complete tampering is done, but the chassis number of the truck is not tampered.

Later, the court dismissed the customs appeal.