PESHAWAR: A dispute between Customs Enforcement and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Excise, Taxation and Narcotics Control Department came out after customs officials attempted to seize a vehicle allegedly being used by a protocol officer of the Chief Minister’s House, claiming it was a non-customs-paid (NCP) vehicle.
The incident occurred on the busy University Road in Peshawar, where an exchange of words between officials of the two departments briefly disrupted the flow of traffic. Police later intervened and shifted the vehicle to Town Police Station, where it remains pending completion of legal proceedings.
According to customs officials, the Peshawar Customs Enforcement team impounded the vehicle during an operation, alleging that it was an NCP vehicle operating on a fraudulent allotment issued by the Excise Department.
Officials said that during the operation, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Excise, Taxation and Narcotics Control Fakhar Jahan arrived at the scene and requested that the vehicle be released. Senior excise officials also reached the site and sought the vehicle’s release, but customs personnel refused, insisting that legal action would proceed in accordance with the law.
However, Fakhar Jahan denied allegations that he attempted to pressure or forcibly influence customs officials.
Speaking to local media, the minister said he happened to be on University Road for shopping and encountered a traffic jam while leaving a shopping mall. Upon inquiry, he learned that customs officials and the Chief Minister’s House protocol officer were involved in a dispute over the vehicle.
The minister said his only request to customs officials was to allow the vehicle to leave because women were travelling with the protocol officer. He suggested that the legal dispute could later be resolved through official correspondence between the relevant departments.
According to Fakhar Jahan, customs officials declined his request, after which he left the scene.
He maintained that he neither exerted pressure on customs personnel nor took any unlawful steps to secure the vehicle’s release.
Following the standoff between the two departments, police shifted the vehicle to Town Police Station, where legal proceedings are underway. The minister expressed hope that the matter would be resolved amicably after all legal requirements are fulfilled.
Meanwhile, customs authorities reiterated that legal proceedings regarding the vehicle are being carried out strictly in accordance with the law and that the case will be decided through the prescribed legal process.
Read also: Major reshuffle in KP Police as senior officers transferred
