ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to Prime Minister and Federal Minister on Revenue Haroon Akhtar said Saturday that Pakistan is a responsible state that is committed to the global fight against terrorism along with making efforts to eradicate the menace of smuggling and money laundering from its soil.
“Our customs and its standards are set according to international standards and, in some cases, even better than some of the best customs in the region,” he said while speaking to a high-level delegation from the Export Control and Related Border Security (EXBS) of the United States (US), which met him at his office at the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) House.
EXBS Country Director Shelly Atkinson led the US delegation which also included officials from the US Department of Homeland Security and US Embassy in Pakistan. FBR Member Customs Mohammad Zahid Khokhar and other senior officers of FBR were also present on the occasion.
Addressing members of the delegation, the minister said, “Our entire system is now fully computerised and we have made some major inroads against smuggling and money laundering by unearthing some substantial cases in recent years”.
He also offered to send officers from Pakistan Customs for training to the US to learn and share experiences with each other. “We hope that cooperation would be further strengthened and consolidated in connection to intelligence sharing and exchange of resources,” he said.
Akhtar also apprised the US delegation that Pakistan was a safe place and its reputation had suffered as the international media had painted a negative image of the country. “We have come a long way in our fight against terrorism, and our success has been ensured by the massive sacrifices given by our nation, as well as our military and paramilitary forces, who have laid down their lives in the service of their country,” he added.
He also briefed the US delegation on the state of Pakistan’s economy, saying that the economy was in good shape and had shown improvement over the last few years. “Our democratic experience is going very well and the second democratic government is now nearing completion of its five-year term indicating towards the strength of our democratic institutions,” he said.
Shelly Atkinson thanked the minister and the FBR for giving the delegation valuable insights into the working of Pakistan Customs which, she conceded, had been excelling in many areas and doing far better than some of the countries in the region. “We look forward to benefiting from Pakistan’s experiences by engaging one or two Pakistani instructors to be part of the learning and capacity-building programmes in the US Department of Homeland Security,” she said.
