A disturbing and highly detailed report has emerged, uncovering an entrenched and well-organized smuggling network operating through Lahore Airport, with direct involvement of several Pakistan Customs officials and support from senior officers. This report, submitted by whistleblower Amir Shabier to a wide range of national and international authorities, including Pakistan’s Intelligence Bureau, the Prime Minister’s Office, the Federal Tax Ombudsman, the FATF Coordination Committee, and even international organizations such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ), presents overwhelming evidence of systemic corruption within Pakistan Customs. The smuggling network, operating with precise coordination, is accused of enabling the illegal transport of gold, silver, mobile phones, laptops, drones, night vision devices, banned medicines, and other high-value items, resulting in daily profits that collectively exceed Rs. 12 crore. These illegal operations are facilitated by Customs officials who use their positions and shift patterns to evade detection and carry out uninterrupted smuggling.
The report identifies three main Customs sepoys — Ali Mukhtar, Umair Asghar, and Javaid Iqbal — as central players in the smuggling activities at Lahore Airport. These individuals have been working in carefully scheduled rotating shifts, allowing them to monitor and control both arriving and departing passengers for the purpose of smuggling. They are accused of enabling illegal clearances and allowing unchecked cargo to pass through customs under the watch and with the knowledge of their supervisors. In particular, their involvement is not restricted to occasional incidents but is part of an organized, daily operation. They often assist in illegally clearing shipments for known smuggling networks, notably under the protection of senior officers like Deputy Collector (DC) Customs Muddasar Rafique, Superintendent Rauf, and Assistant Collector Sadaqatam Virk. These senior officers not only ignore the illegal operations but are actively involved in them, holding secret meetings in private hotels to discuss smuggling arrangements and to distribute profits.
Detailed records from the report include specific dates and items smuggled by each officer. Ali Mukhtar was involved in the smuggling of gold, mobile phones, injections, laptops, and night vision devices on January 23, 25, 29, and February 1, 4, 6, 10, and 20, 2025. Umair Asghar smuggled silver, gold, phones, laptops, and luxury watches on January 24, 27, 30, and February 3, 5, 8, 13, and 17, 2025. Javaid Iqbal was responsible for moving banned medicines, chemical injections, gold, vape flavors, and Indian chemicals on January 25, 26, 31, and February 2, 7, 11, 12, 19, and 23, 2025. Their repeated activities demonstrate an ongoing and structured collaboration with smuggling syndicates.
One of the most glaring examples of the smuggling operation took place on December 14, 2024, between 5:30 AM and 6:00 AM. During this time, four passengers were allowed to clear through Customs with 915 iPhones, 15 night vision devices, and 10 gold bars, each weighing 2 kg. Among the individuals, one wore white traditional attire, another wore a Sindhi cap, and another was dressed in a tracksuit. Despite the overwhelming quantity of smuggled goods, DC Mudassar Rafique, who recognized the individuals, did not take any action against them. These passengers were reportedly linked to smugglers Naeem Bilo and Imran, who run a sophisticated operation for clearing gold and diamonds. Each of the three sepoys facilitated the clearance of 5 to 7 kg of gold per day for just this one group, and combined across different groups and shifts, they enabled the smuggling of 10 to 12 kg of gold daily. Once the gold was successfully smuggled, the profits were calculated and divided amongst the involved officers.
The report also reveals the wider network of criminals that these sepoys are working with. Ali Mukhtar is closely connected with Abdul Haseeb Shehzad, owner of MS Sam Mobile Shop in Hafeez Center Lahore, Muhammad Hassan from Hall Road Lahore, Muhammad Dilawar and Amir Younes from Gujranwala, Asif Ali from Okara, Muhammad Khalid from Karachi, Waqas Umer from Peshawar, and Yousaf Khan from Rawalpindi. He facilitates the smuggling of electronic goods, primarily mobile phones and laptops, for these individuals. Similarly, Umair Asghar is tied to Ramzan Baig from Peshawar, Tanveer Ahmed from Karachi, Zar Hussain from Torkham, M Raqeeb from Quetta, Muhammad Ahmed from Hall Road Lahore, Usman from Gujranwala, Waqar from Narowal, and Sheikh Adeel from Gujrat. Javaid Iqbal has facilitated smuggling activities for Muhammad Hassan, Amir Younes, Qadir Chishti from Bahawalnagar, Muhammad Umer and Izat Shah from Karachi, and Shawaz Khan from Torkham.
The operation is not limited to passenger terminals but extends deeply into the Unaccompanied Baggage Section (AFU) at the Lahore Cargo Complex, where fraudulent use of UK and USA citizens’ passport details is employed to clear large shipments illegally. These clearances are often approved under forged No Objection Certificates (NOCs), listing individuals who were never present at the airport. CCTV footage and documentary evidence for these clearances exist and can be used for independent verification. The report states that approximately Rs. 6 crore is generated weekly from these operations. Despite an FIR being lodged at the Cargo Baggage Section, only the clearing agent was penalized while the Customs officers involved were shielded from any disciplinary action. Superintendent Rauf, who was in charge of the section at the time, was promptly transferred to Faisalabad as Shift Incharge in an effort to conceal his involvement. Meanwhile, DC Mudassar Rafique is attempting to bring him back to Lahore to continue operations.
Shockingly, the same Customs officials misuse passenger passport data by making unauthorized copies of incoming passengers’ documents and using these to facilitate fake clearances, a flagrant abuse of power. These passport copies are used in collusion with corrupt clearing agents and smugglers to generate illegal NOCs and manipulate the Customs system. This level of fraud and digital forgery is being executed within government systems, and yet there is no crackdown.
Another key concern raised in the report is the silence and inaction of higher authorities, particularly Tayyaba Kayani, who, despite holding a position of oversight in the baggage section, failed to conduct any independent investigation or disciplinary hearing against the accused officers. Her continued silence raises serious doubts about her impartiality and possible involvement.
The report concludes with a grave warning. If immediate, serious, and impartial investigations are not launched, and if these officials are not held accountable, it will demonstrate institutional complicity and collapse of accountability in Pakistan’s governance. It questions why CSS officers enjoy blanket protection while other institutions, including the judiciary and military, are undergoing scrutiny and enforcing internal accountability. The Deputy Collector, instead of initiating inquiries, chose to quietly transfer the implicated officers, further proving the intent to suppress evidence and protect the perpetrators. Even when smuggling activities were approved under the guise of “private parties,” as on January 23 and 26, 2025, with full knowledge of DC Mudassar Rafique, there was no oversight or corrective action taken.
As part of this submission, the whistleblower, Amir Shabier, has called on national and international media, the International Monetary Fund, and the International Court of Justice to take note and demand transparency. With evidence being allegedly destroyed and corrupt officials being strategically relocated, he urges for an urgent and full-scale investigation. Without intervention, this deep-rooted corruption will continue unchecked, and faith in the rule of law will continue to erode. The smuggling racket at Lahore Airport is not a standalone crime — it represents a serious national security and economic threat, run with impunity from within the state machinery itself.
