Prime Minister Imran Khan has given instructions for a crackdown on the smuggling of foods and other commodities. In this context, he has asked security agencies including the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Intelligence Bureau (IB) and Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to monitor the situation and report to him regularly.
The PM's meeting took into consideration the demand-and-supply situation of essential goods and the impact of smuggling on market forces. The meeting was attended, among others, by Minister for National Food Security Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiar, Minister for Planning Asad Umar and Adviser on Commerce and Trade Abdul Razak Dawood.
The PM directed the Ministry of Interior, various federal law-enforcement agencies, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and provincial governments to work together in combating smuggling. Calling for short-, medium- and long-term measures to be taken, he asked for a report from the Interior Ministry within 48 hours.