PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan on Tuesday directed the excise department to modernise the tax collection system by introducing e-initiatives to extend the maximum facilitation to taxpayers.

He also ordered a comprehensive examination of all laws and rules for necessary amendments to meet current and future needs, according to a statement issued here.

The chief minister was a chairing a meeting called to review progress on the projects of the excise, taxation and narcotics control department.

Adviser to the CM on excise and taxation Mian Khaleequr Rehman, principal secretary to the CM Amjad Ali Khan, excise and taxation secretary Adeel Shah and other relevant officials attended the meeting.

The chief minister said his government was committed to eliminating drugs from the province and would utilise all available resources to protect youth from narcotics.

Says officers of good repute should be appointed

Officials briefed participants about the projects launched by the excise, taxation and narcotics control department and said under the Universal Number Plate initiative, 5,000 universal number plates were issued, while the issuance of 35,000 more was in progress.

They highlighted the steps taken for narcotics control and said that the department, as directed by the provincial government, had tightened the noose around drug peddlers and smugglers.

The officials said that 40 cases were registered against drug traffickers and peddlers, 50 arrests were made and 33 vehicles used for narcotics smuggling were seized during the last one month.

They also said that in the same period, large quantities of drugs, including 246kg hashish, 60kg heroin, 104kg opium and around 10kg crystal meth (ice drug), were confiscated.

The officials said that under the instructions of the chief minister, intelligence-based targeted operations were being carried out for seizing narcotics.

They said that since August 2020, 674 drug cases had been registered, 742 people had been arrested and 411 vehicles used for drug smuggling had been seized.

The officials said the period also recorded the seizure of 5,685kg hashish, 601kg heroin, 359kg opium, 206kg ice drug and 960 litres of liquor.

Briefing participants about tax collection by the excise department, they said that in the current fiscal year, the excise department had so far made significant increase in tax recovery.

They said Rs1.182 billion had been collected in the first four months of the current financial year, which was 15 per cent more than the tax collected during the corresponding period of the last financial year.

About legislative work by the department, the officials said the Establishment of Excise Police Station Rules, 2020, Asset Administration and Management Rules, 2021, Disposal of Vehicles and Other Articles Rules, 2021, Reward Rules, 2020, and Rehabilitation Centre Rules, 2021, had been approved by the chief minister for the consideration of the provincial cabinet.

They also said rules for drug abuse, controlled chemicals, equipment and materials had been drafted and were in the vetting stage.

The meeting took a detailed review of the development schemes of the excise department.

The chief minister directed the authorities of the excise department to take steps to strengthen its narcotics wing and ramp up actions against narcotics dealers.

He ordered the appointment of officers and officials of good repute to key posts for the purpose.

Published in Dawn, November 9th, 2022