Oil smuggling in Balochistan: 'There is no water, no electricity, no roads, but there is an abundance of smuggled Iranian oil

Welcome to the most backward area, there is no water, no electricity, no roads, but there is an abundance of smuggled Iranian oil and that is my business.

             

The smuggled oil trade-in Pakistan's Balochistan province has been going on for decades, and The Pakistani government has repeatedly made promises and claims in the past to ban the smuggling and sale of oil in the country but has so far failed to stop the trade.

The consumption of smuggled Iranian oil products was about 70,000 to 80,000 liters in Karachi last year and had increased up to 16,000 liters per day, sources said and added that it may increase in the future due to an increase in petroleum prices.

Despite huge losses of about 8 billion rupees per annum in tax revenue, the government was not taking interest to curb such illegal business, he said while adding that “International donors have also warned the government to stop illegal business in the interest of stakeholders of this sector”.