To comply with FATF, crackdown at Pak-Iran border against smuggling

To comply with FATF, crackdown crackdown at Pak-Iran border against smuggling 

The FC local leadership believe that not only smuggling of oil but also weapons being sent across Balochistan has undermined the security of the province

Jan Achakzai 

Many stories in the media have been circulating about smuggling at the Pakistan-Iran border region. Smuggling is a a thriving  market sustained for years but now the government with the help of federal law enforcing agencies and FC has cracked down on this illicit trade. 

This scribe reveals that in order to come off FATF  greylist by meeting its remaining three conditions including money laundering and terrorism financing and currency smuggling, the crackdown is Pakistan's commitment to comply with the FATF requirement. The the money thus obtained via smuggling may end up  fuelling terrorism. 

The government has  clamped down hard on fuel smuggling on Iranian border and now   Baloch sub -nationalists parties like BNP have asked the federal government to provide alternative jobs to the local people before they are completely rendered unemployed. 

The FC local leadership believe that not only smuggling of oil but also weapons being sent across Balochistan has undermined the security of the province. 

It is a fact of life that smuggling is the main sway of thousands of families in Balochistan for livelihood as such the government is duty bound to provide alternative employment opportunities. It is in nobody's interest to let youth of the border region go in the hands of  terrorists and extremists next door. Notwithstanding, this money is out  of the tex net and big smugglers are making their own abuse:  Creating law and order situation. 

But the larger picture of whether this crackdown will help Pakistan come off the Grey list is more complicated. For example, the cash currency raised through smuggling is a charge that can be used against any country and so is  against Pakistan: Having porous borders, black economy or “grey” economy,  it will find it almost impossible to completely eradicate currency smuggling. Even technologically advanced and resource rich countries like America  have to struggle on this count, besides, human and drug trafficking along its border with Mexico. In other words, like in the US example, no technical prowess, robust laws,  successful prosecution and heavily guarded fencing,  could completely wipe out the scourge. So after all the hard work, Islamabad can still be “non compliant” of the FATF criteria in this regard. 

However, the government is trying its level best to take control of its borders with Afghanistan and Iran. Indeed no state is worth its salt if it has no  writ imposed on its borders. But given the poverty and unemployment in border regions, there must be a humane application of the current crackdown giving ample time to local communities to shift to alternative livelihoods.