In a recent hearing at the Supreme Court of Pakistan regarding the seizure of a smuggled truck by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa customs authorities, Chief Justice Qazi Faiz Isa expressed serious concerns.
He highlighted the possibility of customs officials themselves being involved in smuggling activities, citing an instance where a truck, in use for 22 years since its manufacturing in 1996, was seized in 2016 within 400 kilometers from the Peshawar border.
The Chief Justice questioned how such vehicles find their way into the possession of customs authorities, emphasizing that these trucks aren’t small objects easily missed, but substantial vehicles. He urged an inquiry into the customs department’s practices, expressing frustration over unnecessary litigation that ends up consuming the court’s time and preventing the hearing of more critical cases. Additionally, Justice Athar Manullah noted the anomaly in this case where the truck’s chassis number had not been tampered with, contrary to the usual scenario with smuggled vehicles. Ultimately, a three-member bench led by Chief Justice Qazi Faiz Isa dismissed the customs appeal.
