The Pakistan Customs department has come under scrutiny for alleged double standards in registering First Information Reports (FIRs) regarding the smuggling of luxury mobile phones worth millions of rupees.
According to sources, the Collectorate of Customs at New Islamabad Airport detained imported mobile phones, including Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max, from two passengers arriving from Sharjah and Thailand on February 19, 2025.
During baggage inspection, Customs officials recovered 50 Apple iPhone 7 from a passenger identified as Ruihong Lue, a foreign national. While all these phones were detained, no FIR was registered against him.
READ MORE: OpenAI Expands AI Agent ‘Operator’ Worldwide
However, 60 iPhone 16 Pro Max valued at Rs. 21,442,837 were recovered from Zahoor Ahmed, a Pakistani passenger. In this case, FIR No. 04/2025 was lodged against him.
Sources highlighted that Customs authorities filed an FIR against the Pakistani passenger but not against the foreign national arriving from Bangkok, raising concerns over selective enforcement.
When contacted for comments, the Chief Collector of Customs at New Islamabad Airport did not respond until the filing of this report.
Tags: Pakistan Customs, iPhone smuggling, FIR controversy, mobile phone smuggling, Islamabad Airport, luxury phone imports, Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max, Pakistan law enforcement, customs enforcement, double standards, passenger profiling, smuggling crackdown
