The Editor

Daily DAWN Karachi

Haroon House Karachi 15^TH August 1998

Sir,

The 13^th August issue of your newspaper carried a letter on the above subject by Mr Salman Munawar of Lahore who has very rightly exposed the origin of the smuggled fabrics and has pointed out the attitude of our people who prefer foreign goods. The smuggled fabrics that are coming into the country and sold under counterfeit brand names are actually produced in Thailand and Indonesia by those weavers who have surplus production and have to run their looms under any cost. These are actually all polyester fabrics and are sold in Far Eastern countries in discount stores or in shops in low-income areas.

The couriers from Pakistan, who are regular visitors to Thailand and Indonesia, are either bringing goods directly or have these shipped to Dubai from where they are brought in containers to our country and cleared at Lahore or Faisalabad Dry Ports where there is a well-connected mafia working in cooperation with unscrupulous custom officials. It is no wonder that there is a heavy rush at these Dry Ports.

Furthermore, the goods are openly sold all over, and the customers can just go to the mini-Bara set up everywhere and buy these rejects which they consider it superior fabrics because it has a foreign name. The Russians who used to come in planeloads to buy men suits, trousers, shirts, and other garments were keen to buy these if made in cheap imports but then the smugglers brought in more rejected qualities and now there are so few buyers from Russian countries.

Some of the local garments manufacturers have also resorted to using cheaper smuggled fabrics and they charged very high prices for their products. Unfortunately, the quality is inferior but they can get more money because of the foreign labels they routinely use with their own brand names.

The government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is requested to please implement the assurances made in the 11^th June speech on the National Agenda and there has to be a Jihad against smuggling. The local industries are facing tremendous problems and the cases of sick mills and bank defaulters have increased. Many did because they could not survive against cheap smuggled goods. Today, hundreds of weaving mills are closed, many processing industries are working one or two shifts, a huge number of weavers and auxilliary staff are out of jobs, and there are few local or foreign orders.

It is necessary that to curb the smuggled goods, all retail shops must have to pay GST and give a receipt so that they do not sell smuggled goods. It is necessary for CBR Chairman, Mr Moin Khan to take stringent measures to stop clearance of smuggled goods through the Dry Ports and that the vigilance should be strictly enforced there. It is necessary for the Armed Forces to also assist the government in eliminating the smuggling of goods in the country. We can beat world sanctions if we protect our industries and businesses from this foreign onslaught. The smugglers are out to destroy the country and they are worse than our hostile neighbours. The Prime Minister must personally lead the crusade against smuggling if he desires to make the nation strong and prosperous.