Senate panel raises alarm over drug production, fuel smuggling in Balochistan

ISLAMABAD: A subcommittee of the Senate Standing Committee on Interior on Tuesday voiced serious concern over narcotics production, fuel smuggling and tax evasion in parts of Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, and directed the relevant authorities to take immediate and strict action.

The meeting was chaired by Senator Saifullah Abro and was held to review the theft of a large quantity of cigarettes from a customs warehouse.

During the session, officials of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) told the committee that notices had already been issued to several officers linked to the case, while additional details had been sought from others. They said a final report would be prepared after replies to the notices were received.

Concerns over narcotics and smuggling

At the meeting, committee member Senator Umar Farooq said the entire district of Qila Abdullah in Balochistan was involved in the production of opium and hashish. He also said that large-scale oil smugglers were openly posting videos of their activities on social media and urged the relevant institutions to take notice.

The committee also took up the issue of Iranian oil being smuggled into Pakistan. Customs officials informed the panel that the sale of Iranian oil had been allowed in four districts of Balochistan — Panjgur, Gwadar, Kech and Washuk.

According to customs authorities, around three million litres of oil were being brought in daily from Iran in these districts. They added that the volume was not fixed and at times went beyond that level.

Customs explains oil arrangement

Customs officials told the committee that the permission had been given because oil marketing companies were not operating in those remote areas. They said petrol pumps had not been established there and regular fuel supply was unavailable.

According to the officials, the arrangement was meant to facilitate local residents living in those districts.

The discussion took place as the committee examined broader concerns related to smuggling and enforcement in border regions, alongside the warehouse cigarette theft case that formed the main agenda of the meeting.

The panel’s deliberations brought together issues of narcotics production, cross-border fuel movement and tax evasion, with lawmakers pressing departments concerned to respond more effectively.

FIA officials maintained that action in the cigarette theft case was under way through departmental notices and information gathering, and said the inquiry would be completed after responses from the officers concerned were received.

The committee, meanwhile, stressed the need for prompt action on the issues highlighted during the meeting, particularly those relating to narcotics production and oil smuggling in Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.