On Saturday, three people, including two Customs officials, were murdered in an attack near Bannu Road when unknown gunmen opened fire targeting their vehicle at the Yarak toll plaza in Dera Ismail Khan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
This is the second attack on Pakistan Customs officials in less than a week in Dera Ismail Khan.
Previously on April 18, seven people, including a child, were slain in an attack out of which five were Custom officials. Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) released a statement on X, formerly Twitter, reiterating Pakistan’s resolve to fight terrorism.
The Khorasan Diary had reported that “Customs had tightened the noose around smuggling around this area as it was frequented by militant networks who were involved in smuggling weapons and vehicles used in attack in urban centres,” a senior customs official said.
The special situation report of the April 18 incident was released by the Deputy Commissioner
Moreover, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the heinous attack.
It should be noted that Dera Ismail Khan is an infamous route for illicit trade and smuggling as there have been many instances when the authorities have foiled bids to smuggle goods including arms, Iranian fuel and more.
(Image taken from APP report)
As Pakistan navigates through tough economic waters, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered strict action against smugglers and urged law enforcement agencies to expedite their campaigns.
Illicit activities such as black market and smuggling cost Pakistan $23 billion per year, according to the report by ACE Money Transfer, a UK-based company.
Previously, the caretaker administration started the anti-smuggling drive in the country to protect the feeble foreign exchange and stop the devaluation of local currency (PKR).
The FBR released a statement offering condolences to the victims’ families.
