KARACHI - The Anti Smuggling Organisation of Customs Preventive Karachi has started a drive against smuggled Iranian-origin petroleum products.

The haul during last week included seizure of three big oil tankers bearing registration numbers TKB-310, TKE-967 and TKF-788. All of them were found carrying 24,000, 20,000 and 5,000 litres of Iranian smuggled diesel oil. These oil tankers were apprehended from the remote areas of Band Murad near Hub Dam, Kathore on Superhighway and National Highway Link Road. Besides these huge oil tankers, the staff of Anti Smuggling Organisation also seized three small Suzuki and Nissan pickups carrying 4,000 litres of smuggled diesel.
Drivers of the vehicles and their helpers have also been apprehended. The seizure of such a huge quantity of smuggled diesel in a week’s time is unprecedented and has broken the backbone of smugglers.
The drive by the Customs Preventive, Karachi against smuggled diesel and other merchandise is going to continue and other law-enforcement agencies are also being approached for a coordinated effort to curb the menace of smuggling. Collector of Customs Preventive has appreciated the assistance provided by the Pakistan Rangers.
Meanwhile, the Co-ordination Committee of Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) has deplored the continuous killings of the MQM workers and other people belonging to different sects in Karachi.
The members of coordination committee said that the constant killings were part of a devious conspiracy to push Karachi in the flames of strife and bloodshed. The committee members said that the conspiracy was aimed at weakening the MQM by creating chaos and confusion among people.
They said that the terrorist elements and their sponsors, who had been involved in violence and bloodshed in the past as well, were behind the vile conspiracy to create unrest in Karachi.
The Co-ordination Committee said that, on the one hand, the banned terrorist outfits were active in Karachi and on the other hand extortion mafia and criminals of the gang warfare were thriving. These terrorists and hardened criminals were involved in sectarian killings and targeting the MQM workers one after another. They said that two more MQM workers Syed Nehal Akhtar and Noorul Huda were gunned down in Orangi Town the previous day by terrorists.
The Co-ordination Committee said that thousands of security personnel belonging to the Rangers and FC were also deployed in Karachi besides the police, but the persistent killings, kidnappings for ransom and other terrorist activities have put a question mark before their performance. Hey added that the people were forced to think that the incidents happening in Karachi were continuing unstoppably because they were planned.
The Co-ordination Committee demanded President Asif Zardari, Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Governor Sindh Dr Ishrat-ul-Ebad and Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik to take serious notice of the continuing killings in Karachi and bring the killers swiftly to justice.