The Bentley Mulsanne allegedly stolen from London and bought by an affluent elite in DHA Karachi was only caught because of the efforts of British investigators, otherwise, it was registered here, cleared by customs and met all formalities, to be driven around as a legally cleared limousine. Have we forgotten the Ferrari Sports car crash in November 2014 in Quetta which led sacking of senior officers? We live in a country where scores of containers loaded with luxury goods including prohibited weapons bound for Afghanistan went missing from Karachi Port in 2011. If memory serves us right there was a BBC report which implicated many involved in smuggling stolen vehicles across the land border in Baluchistan.
If anyone ventures to visit Quetta and the gated community where the paid elite lives, such vehicles are commonly seen. Karachi is another city where they are found and so are Lahore and Peshawar etc. Where else in the world are amnesty schemes given for regularizing smuggled cars, except in Pakistan? The Elite VIP culture considers violating laws as their perks. BMW, Audis and Mercedes cars are driven around with strange registered number plates starting with AFR etc. and no police officer dares to stop them. When irregularities are indulged in by the elite at the very top, then corruption, bribery and abuse become an accepted norm.
MALIK TARIQ ALI,
Lahore.A