PM Imran Khan orders effective measures against smuggling

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday said that artificial shortage caused by smuggling of goods led to a rise in prices of commodities in the country, ARY NEWS reported.

The prime minister said this while chairing a meeting on measures against smuggling and money laundering and directed that effective measures should be carried out to bring an end to the illegal transfer of wheat, urea, sugar, flour, and petrol.

“Smuggling of goods badly hurts the economy of the country,” Imran Khan said adding that measures against these illegal acts were aimed at providing relief to the masses.

During the meeting, the prime minister was briefed that the FIA has expanded its investigation in the money laundering of the United States Dollar (USD) and their illegal holding.

“The FIA has also enhanced its workforce on border crossings so that the import and export of the goods and other material from the country could be duly checked,” the briefing said while claiming success in operations against smuggling, and hoarding.

It is pertinent to mention here that the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) on Tuesday announced that the rate of inflation in November 2021 stood at 11.53 percent.

The PBS said that the inflation stood at 8.35 percent in November 2020, witnessing just over three percent this year.

Similarly, it said that the rate of hike in prices stood at 9.32 percent in five months of the FY2021-22 as compared to 8.76 percent in a similar period of FY2020-21.