J-K Govt files FIR against cross border trade of banned items

The decision follows a letter by Trade Facilitating Officer A.K. Lakhotra to the Custodian LoC trade Matloob Khan asking him to “work out contravention of Foreign Trade Policy and Customs Act,1962” and lodge an FIR with the police.

The letter,according to well placed sources,also pointed out that one Mohammad Amin Magrey had applied for release of the consignment. However,on being asked to make a disclosure about the goods,he expressed his ignorance saying that these belonged to a Jammu based trader Vikram Singh and he was only acting as his clearing agent.

Admitting having received the letter from Trade Facilitating Officer,Khan said that details provided to him by Customs officials reveal that the consignment of poppy seeds was sent by M/s Al Madeena and Co of Kotli to one Vikram Singh at Narwal in Jammu.

“We are calling Vikram Singh to record his statement and decide about the action to be taken into the there after,” Khan said.

Significantly,this had not been the first time that a banned item was found being traded during the cross LoC trade. Last week,a consignment of Kuth (coffee weeds) had come from PoK under the category of herbs and in the absence of any expert to identify the herb,it was released.

Matloob Khan,when contacted,said that he has already asked the Customs officials to deploy some expert to find out whether the herbs being traded through LoC point were not included in the list of banned items.

The consignment of poppy seeds (Khaskas) would have gone unnoticed,had one of the bags not slipped from a labourer’s hands during unloading and some poppy seeds strewn on the ground,much to the shock of Customs and other officials present there.

The poppy seeds were imported under the guise of “khasgandi” – a herb,sources added. Ever since the start of cross LoC trade between Jammu Kashmir and Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK),the Customs Department has already imposed ban on the trading of non-state items. This followed complaints by traders in Punjab and also in Poonch that items,which were neither grown nor manufactured on either side of LoC,were being traded by some local traders resulting into the evasion of customs duty.

The first item to get banned was garlic,followed by ginger. Last week,Commissioner Customs,Jallandhar,wrote a letter asking A.K. Lakhotra,Trade Facilitating Officer at Chakkan Da Bagh,to allow trade of only those items which have their origin in the state. However,it is a different matter that everytime,the traders managed to trade “non-state” goods seeking one time exception from the officials.