Govt shuts down illegal petrol pumps nationwide in crackdown on smuggling

ISLAMABAD: The government has shut down as many as 2,500 petrol pumps across the country as part of a major crackdown against the smuggling and illegal sale of petroleum products, ARY News reported.

Action was also taken against the owners and operators of these illegal petrol pumps.

The decision was shared with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who chaired a weekly meeting regarding reforms in the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).

The FBR briefed the Prime Minister that several digital measures have been introduced to block the illegal transportation of petroleum products.

The meeting was informed that all petrol pumps are being linked via GIS tagging, with fuel transportation monitored through GPS tracking and an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) tracking system.

Additionally, a tracking application has been prepared for Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) to oversee the movement of petroleum products and identify illegal transportation.

The meeting also reviewed progress on measures to make supply chain controls more effective and to digitally monitor the sale of petroleum products.

On this occasion, the Prime Minister directed authorities to further accelerate actions against smuggling and illegal businesses, and to complete FBR reforms as early as possible to strengthen revenue collection and the enforcement of the law.