ZHOB: The Balochistan Excise and Taxation Department has paid Rs250,000 in compensation to the owners of a coal-loaded truck after an operation based on information about suspected drug smuggling was found to be incorrect.
The truck was stopped in Zhob following what was described as credible information that betel nuts (chalia) were allegedly being smuggled under a consignment of coal. As part of the search operation, the coal was unloaded from the truck.
However, the suspected contraband was not found and the information was subsequently determined to be false.
Excise and Taxation Officer (ETO) Naimatullah Kakar said the compensation was paid to cover the losses caused by unloading and reloading the coal, as well as the time lost by the driver.
In this regard, Kakar said the action had been taken in view of the information received by the department and stressed that smugglers often use different methods to conceal illegal goods. He also pointed to tactics such as changing vehicle number plates to evade detection.
He said action would also be taken against the informer who provided the incorrect information.
The department considered the operation necessary at the time because of the nature of the intelligence it had received.
The payment was made from the department’s own resources as compensation for the inconvenience and financial loss suffered by the truck owners.
Divisional President of the Transport Union Abdul Jabbar Kakar confirmed that Rs250,000 had been paid to the owners of the affected truck.
The truck driver also said that Excise Department personnel did not demand any bribe or illegal payment during the checking process. He appreciated the department’s decision to compensate the owners for the losses resulting from the operation.
Transporters Call for Better Verification
While appreciating the compensation, Abdul Jabbar Kakar urged the Excise Department to strengthen its system for verifying intelligence before taking action against transport vehicles.
He said transporters were already facing serious difficulties because of the prevailing law and order situation and should not be subjected to unnecessary delays or harassment at checkpoints.
The transport union also alleged that transporters are sometimes unnecessarily troubled at checkpoints.
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It called for an effective verification mechanism to ensure that action based on intelligence does not cause avoidable financial losses and inconvenience to transporters.
The incident has mentioned the need to balance effective action against smuggling with proper verification procedures and protection of legitimate transport activity.
