2.8 billion Litres of Iranian Oil smuggled Annually

September 11, 2023

Pakistan bears an annual loss exceeding PKR 60 billion due to the smuggling of over 2.81 billion liters of oil from Iran to Pakistan. Shockingly, this illegal operation involves 90 government officials and 29 politicians.

This was stated in a report by Civil Intelligence Agency which was submitted a report to the Prime Minister’s House, revealing that the proceeds from oil smuggling are also being funneled towards terrorist activities.

According to the Civil Intelligence report, a total of 995 petrol pump stations across the country are participating in the sale of smuggled Iranian oil. This illicit oil is transported from Iran to Pakistan using Iranian vehicles. Furthermore, it has been disclosed that 76 sellers in areas near the border have become ensnared in the web of oil smuggling.

The report also highlights the presence of 722 currency dealers involved in ‘hawala hundi’ businesses in Pakistan. Punjab has the highest number of such dealers with 205, followed by Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) with 183, Sindh with 176, Balochistan with 104, Azad Kashmir with 37, and the federal capital Islamabad with 17 hawala dealers.

It’s worth noting that the caretaker federal government, in collaboration with provincial governments, has initiated a nationwide crackdown on individuals engaged in extensive hoarding of dollars and other commodities.