ISLAMABAD -- Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has ordered the authorities to take measures to “root out” corruption at checkpoints along two key highways linking the port city of Karachi with the border with Afghanistan.
In a memo dated September 4, Khan’s office said that he has been informed by unidentified sources about “rampant rent seeking from goods transport” by members of state agencies and entities including police, customs, coast guard, and paramilitary forces.
It can be “safely presumed” that the money extorted from transporters and traders along the Karachi-Torkham and Karachi-Chaman highways “is shared with upper hierarchy at different levels,” the memo said.
As a result, Khan ordered respective entities to revise and develop operating procedures, reduce the number of checkpoints where possible, and convert those located nearby to be converted into “multi-agency” posts.
The 1,820-kilometer Karachi-Torkham highway is a major north–south artery in Pakistan that extends from Sindh Province's capital to the border town of Torkham in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The Karachi-Chaman highway stretches more than 800 kilometers, passing through Quetta in the southwestern province of Balochistan and the border town of Chaman.
Most of the trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan goes through these two routes.
Khan Wants To 'Root Out' Corruption Along Pakistani Highways
Editors' Picks
Afghanistan/Pakistan Trending
1
Serbia Deepens Military Ties With China Through Drones, Air Defense Systems
2Several Protesters Reported Dead In Iran As Anger Builds Over Dismal Economy
3Why Are So Many Leaders Warning Of War With Russia?
4Scores Of Bodies Outside Morgue In Tehran Amid Deadly Iran Protests
5Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine Now Longer Than Soviet War Against Hitler
6Tanks On The Tree: Russian Military Ornaments Are Out In Force This Year
7Belarus Jailing Citizens For Supporting Ukraine's Fight Against Russia
8Costs Mount As Afghanistan-Pakistan Trade War Strands Thousands Of Trucks
9Why Israel Now Eyes Iran's Missiles Over Nukes Ahead Of Netanyahu-Trump Talks
10Shortcut To Zaporizhzhya: Russian Forces Creep Across Drained Reservoir After Dam Breach
RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.
If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.
To find out more, click here.