enate Panel Orders Faster FIA Probe Into Theft of Cigarettes From FBR Warehouses
By Shahzad Paracha :
A Senate sub-committee has directed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to accelerate and widen its investigation into the disappearance of thousands of cigarette cartons from Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) warehouses in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The instructions were issued during a meeting of the Sub-Committee of the Senate Standing Committee on Interior and Narcotics Control held at Parliament House and chaired by Senator Saifullah Abro.
Lawmakers asked investigators to determine responsibility for the reported theft of 2,828 cartons of cigarettes from FBR storage facilities in Swabi and Mardan. Members of the panel expressed concern over what they described as a lack of urgency by the FBR in addressing the incident.
The committee directed the FIA team to record statements from officials who were serving at the time, including the regional tax officer, the chief commissioner and the FBR member responsible for tobacco affairs.
Senators also referred to previous inquiries involving the same tobacco member during an earlier posting in Lahore and urged investigators to include all relevant FBR officials in the probe. The panel further recommended that the assets of the officers concerned be examined as part of the investigation.
The FIA team was instructed to visit the warehouses where the alleged theft occurred in order to verify details of the case.
During the briefing, investigators told the committee that statements from 20 officers and officials had already been recorded. Of the missing stock, 1,262 cartons were identified as belonging to the Kissan Tobacco brand produced by Paramount Tobacco Company, while efforts were continuing to determine the ownership of the remaining cartons.
An FBR representative suggested that investigators should also consider the possible involvement of a tobacco cartel or organised network. He said the tobacco company’s factory and high-value machinery had been seized earlier as part of a tax evasion case and that the confiscated cartons were being held as evidence. The committee instructed the FIA to examine this possibility as part of its inquiry.
Senator Abro said parliamentary committees played a crucial role in ensuring oversight and accountability on issues of national importance.
During the meeting, the FIA also presented bank transaction records linked to the tobacco company under investigation. Committee members questioned how financial transactions were recorded during 2024 and 2025 if the company’s factory had been sealed since 2024. The convener asked investigators to verify the transaction details again.
Officials told the committee that the FBR had introduced new standard operating procedures to improve the safety and security of its warehouses. However, the sub-committee instructed the FIA to complete its inquiry into the cigarette theft case without delay.
The panel also asked the FIA to review recent increases in petroleum prices to identify whether any individuals or groups may have gained financially from higher rates on existing fuel stocks.
Several broader issues were discussed during the meeting, including the use of non-custom-paid vehicles, the import of raw materials into tax-exempt areas of the former Fata and Pata regions, and the smuggling of Iranian oil in Balochistan.
The sub-committee urged the FBR to strengthen monitoring in these areas, warning that they were increasingly being used for smuggling activities that could harm the national economy.
Lawmakers also instructed the FBR to provide detailed data on imports of raw materials into tax-exempt zones, while the FIA was asked to obtain information from the Petroleum Division regarding Iranian oil entering Balochistan.
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