ANF, Customs NA body hugely irked by poor performance
RECORDER REPORT
ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat expressed displeasure on Wednesday over poor performance of Anti Narcotics Force and Customs authorities in curbing transportation of drugs through airports.
The meeting of the Standing Committee was held here in the Parliament House under the chair of MNA Rana Muhammad Hayat Khan.
The committee members reprimanded the ANF and Customs Officials for failing to fix responsibility on recovery of 28 kilogram and 3 kilogram heroin from Pakistan International Airline flights in Karachi and Lahore respectively.
The members said that it has been over a month since the seizure of the contraband and the officials have yet to trace the culprits who were trying to take the drug abroad.
The officials, however, said the investigations are still underway and they are trying their best to reach the actual culprits. They also informed the committee members that special measures have been taken at all airports in the country to check smuggling of the contrabands.
The committee members, however, decided unanimously to invite Federal Minister for Interior and Narcotics Control Chaudhry Nisar Ali and Chairman Federal Board of Revenue in the next meeting to discuss the issue.
The committee members were also briefed on the progress made so far on the construction of New Islamabad Airport and the ongoing development work at the airport including the construction of water reservoirs and a link road.
The members expressed their concern over unnecessary delay in completion of the New Islamabad Airport project. They directed the Civil Aviation Authority to take appropriate steps to make the airport functional before July 2017 positively.
The committee also discussed, “The National Air Transportation Safety Board Bill, 2014,” in detail and directed that Civil Aviation Authority should hold a meeting with mover of the bill to build a consensus on it and report back to the committee within 30 days of the meeting. The bill was moved by PPP MNA Dr Nafisa Shah.
