There is no proper check on the movement of burgeoning number of non-custom paid (NCP) vehicles despite repeated complaints by the law enforcers that the smuggled vehicles are being used for criminal and terrorist activities in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

These smuggled vehicles have been causing a huge financial loss to the national exchequer and damage to the roads besides adding to the rush on the main arteries of various districts.

It is on record that successive governments have announced to devise a mechanism for registration of the NCP vehicles to overcome the economic issues and growing crimes in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, but any serious step in this direction is yet to be taken.

During a survey conducted by this correspondent it was noted that each of the 91 police stations in Malakand division, including Malakand protected area, had recorded an estimated 4,000 NCP vehicles of various types, many of which were displayed in the showrooms.

An estimated number of the total NCP vehicles in Malakand division alone is about 455,000 and if each vehicle is charged Rs2,000 (estimated annual fee) the provincial government can earn about Rs910 milion a year, which can be helpful to rebuild the damaged roads in the respective districts.

Such vehicles in southern districts like Bannu, Lakkki Marwat and Karak are not included in the data. Similarly, in the tribal regions the use of such vehicles is very common. The customs duty if levied can be in billions of rupees. The police stations have stopped registration of the smuggled vehicles about seven months ago due to various legal issues and thus police officials have no correct data about them. The data discussed above is seven-month old.

Chief Minister Pervez Khattak had also directed the relevant officials to regularise the affairs of NCP vehicles and check smuggling and theft of vehicles, illegal business of spare parts, etc, but to no avail. However, the CM had opposed the levy of any tax on the people of Malakand. Similarly, former provincial minister for excise and taxation Liaquat Shabab had also announced to play role in registration of the vehicles for the purpose of revenue generation and controlling crimes, but he failed to do so.

The NCP vehicles have flooded the roads of at least 10 districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with no check from the authorities concerned to see their documents or ask the owners for payment of tax, which could be spent on repair and reconstruction of the dilapidated roads. One can easily see deep ditches on Malakand-Dir road, especially from Talash to Timergara.

In view of no check, more and more people have started buying smuggled vehicles and enjoying life by riding the luxurious cars, jeeps, land rovers, land cruisers and variety of other vehicles at very cheap prices.

In the seven districts of Malakand division – Swat, Shangla, Buner, Upper Dir, Lower Dir, Chitral and Malakand protected area – the people have been using the NCP vehicles freely for the past many years due to the special status of Malakand as tax-free zone.

But in southern districts like Bannu, Karak and Lakki Marwat the use of these vehicles has been permitted by the provincial government on the demand of the internally displaced persons after their arrival from Waziristan during military operation against terrorists.

Several police officials, pleading anonymity, said that the use of these vehicles had become very common across the country. “Might is right,” a senior official said and asked how an official would be able to check a motorcade of a political party or a religious group on the city roads.

The official said that in the prevailing situation where the terrorists had made lives of the people miserable the checking of illegal vehicles had become very difficult. “We have got vehicles verification system (VVS) and can trace the stolen, snatched and smuggled vehicles, but taking action against every vehicle is difficult,” he said.

He said that VVS had been introduced to maintain vehicle record by linking the cell phone SIMs of duty officers with the excise department. Initially, 400 such vehicle verification SIMs had been distributed among the police officers of all districts in the province.

Public Intelligence Network (PIN) is being established for intelligence-led policing to curb the use of smuggled vehicles and collect information to curtail crime and acts of terrorism. It will be a multi-channel system where a citizen while remaining anonymous can contact police authorities and report suspicious activity in and around his vicinity.

During a visit to parts of Malakand division the owners of several vehicles and showrooms said that they did not feel any hesitation to use the custom-choor (NCP vehicles) because it was tax-free zone. However, the people suggested that the government should collect data of such vehicles to check their misuse.

An official of the excise and taxation department pleading anonymity told Dawn that the smuggled vehicles were used throughout the province. “At least 10 per cent non-custom paid vehicles are on roads in different districts, but the users are so influential that they could not be apprehended so easily. They are government officials, businessmen and politicians,” he revealed.

He said that about 1,200 staff members of the excise department were doing so many duties to check the smuggled vehicles, collect property taxes, impound the stolen vehicles and ensure that the owners were regularly paying the annual fee of their vehicles.

“We have to face humiliation and even life threats at the hands of influential people while taking action against illegal vehicles, but our inspectors are not given any incentive for the recovery,” the official complained.

The official suggested provision of quality weapons, powers of investigation and special incentives on the basis of per vehicle’s recovery and establishment of excise department’s police station for registration of cases.

The police department has suggested registration of NCP vehicles in Malakand division and tribal areas to stop their use in criminal activities. IGP Nasir Khan Durrani has informed the ministry of interior, Federal Bureau of Revenue and chief secretary of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa about use of non-custom paid vehicles in militant activities.

Since there is no mechanism for verifying ownership of such vehicles, these are increasingly used by militants and criminals. According to Mr Durrani, around 23,000 NCP vehicles were brought to Malakand division in 2013. Besides, investigations into a number of terrorist activities in the province in general and Malakand division in particular have revealed that the vehicles being used by the miscreants are mostly unregistered and non-custom paid.

Published in Dawn, April 12th, 2015

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