Minister gets briefing about illegal activities of dangerous gangs
Salman Tanvir
ISLAMABAD
Federal Minister for Interior and narcotics, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan Ch Nisar Ali Khan has asked the FIA not to be afraid of any threats of strikes by any quarter or recommendations and if any one tries to pressurize the officers, the matter should be brought in his notice immediately.
He expressed these views during a briefing about elements involved in gold and human smuggling.
DG FIA told the minister that Economic Crime Wing of the Agency has unearthed four gangs of gold smugglers who have so far caused a loss of Rs 35 billion to the national exchequer. The Minister was told that when FIA took action against these smugglers, Karachi Gold Association threatened to observe shutter down strikes.
He said action is being taken against gold smugglers in Lahore. He said there are eleven special courts who are dealing with 1100 cases and as such they are facing difficulties in disposal of cases. He told the minister that he would meet the Governor State Bank of Pakistan in this connection.
He disclosed that Agency has unearthed two groups for smuggling of jewelry worth Rs 35 billion and international human smugglers. The FIA nabbed a human smuggler Javed Yusuf Hamadani who is a big fish. In addition the FIA arrested several thousand cases of electricity and gas theft and recovered Rs 6 billion from the defaulters.
The human smuggler group, known as John Michael Hamadani was involved in various dangerous crimes and sending people to different countries including Brunei Darus Salam, USA, Canada , UK and other European countries illegal. A large number of passports were also recovered.
“The group after receiving huge amount of money ,send Pakistanis to Dubai or Istanbul on Pakistani passports and then passports of those countries were given to them which were exempted from Visa”, DG FIA revealed. It was also disclosed that Brunei Darus Salam passport does not required visas of 122 countries.
