Govt orders crackdown on illegal fuel pumps, hawala networks, smuggling

The federal government has decided to take strict action against non-digitised petrol pumps, hawala and hundi operations, smuggling, black money, illegal spectrum use and the crime–terror nexus, as part of a broader “Harden the State” strategy, official sources said.

According to a news report, the decision was taken at a meeting of the Federal Steering and Review Committee on Counter Terrorism and Harden the State, chaired by the secretary of the Ministry of Interior and Narcotics Control. Senior officials from the provinces, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir attended the meeting.

Provinces have been directed to speed up capacity-building projects of Counter Terrorism Departments, with increased deployment of CTD personnel in terrorism-affected areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. 

The committee underscored the importance of ensuring security for CPEC, non-CPEC and private projects involving foreign nationals, in line with standard operating procedures issued by the interior ministry. 

The committee also called for strict regulatory action to curb smuggling and the black economy. The Federal Investigation Agency and the AML/CFT Authority were directed to intensify action against hawala and hundi operators, while enhanced enforcement against narcotics trafficking was also approved. Regulatory oversight of weapon manufacturing was recommended to prevent illegal production and supply.

The meeting decided to accelerate the digitisation of fuel pumps and launch a zero-tolerance crackdown on illegal petrol outlets. It noted that despite powers granted under the Petroleum Amendments Act 2025, provinces and relevant departments had failed to submit progress reports on enforcement against illegal or smuggled fuel sales. Provinces were directed to provide regular updates on actions taken.

All Safe City projects were ordered to be completed within stipulated timelines, with special emphasis on expediting work in Gilgit-Baltistan, AJK and Gwadar. Anti-encroachment drives were also ordered to be intensified across KP, Sindh, Balochistan and the Islamabad Capital Territory.

The committee further decided to remap illegal foreigners at federal and provincial levels and directed that cases of fake CNICs issued to Afghan nationals be immediately taken up with National Database and Registration Authority for cancellation. 

Mandatory standardisation of core data fields, real-time CNIC verification and data validation were declared essential across all provinces. The National Highway Authority was directed to complete ongoing projects within approved timelines and submit monthly progress reports.