AJK Imposes Section 144 to Stop Cigarette Smuggling During Eid

Get ready for a crackdown of epic proportions! The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government has launched a ferocious offensive to smash the smuggling of non-duty paid cigarettes into Pakistan, especially during the high-stakes Eid holidays. They’re not messing around!

In a bold move, authorities have slammed down Section 144 from March 31 to April 2, acting on explosive intelligence that smugglers are plotting to flood the market with illegal cigarette shipments from Mirpur and Bhimber into Pakistan during the festive chaos.

Deputy Commissioner of Inland Revenue, Muhammad Ali Asghar, has issued a no-nonsense directive for ironclad surveillance and relentless monitoring at critical transit points to obliterate the black-market trade of raw tobacco and tobacco products. This isn’t their first rodeo—recently, the AJK Inland Revenue and Excise Department, backed by local police, thwarted a massive heist when they busted a smuggling attempt worth millions of rupees from a major cigarette factory in Bhimber.

The details are staggering: an Excise Mobile Squad in Bhimber nabbed a shady Loader Ford Wagon (J-4796) packed with 70 cartons of Kisan brand cigarettes—no legal docs in sight! Digging deeper, they uncovered that the haul was shipped from the National Tobacco Factory in Bhimber and headed straight for Nowshera Virkan.

After the bust, authorities didn’t hold back—they slapped legal action on the cigarette maker and sealed the factory tight. Now, the AJK government is doubling down, reinforcing their smash-and-grab enforcement with Section 144 to choke off any more smuggling of non-duty paid cigarettes from Mirpur and Bhimber. This is war on illicit trade, and they mean business!