Published Date: January-1998
KARACHI, Nov. 22: The International Mail Office has recently
written to the DIG Karachi asking for the censorship list of mail
that they may give for screening to the Intelligence Bureau and
Special Branch officials – after finding them increasingly involved
in removing foreign currency from mail sent by post.
According to the IMO administration, the Special Branch officials
posted here open a maximum of 250 articles daily, without seeking
permission about the items that they may open. In addition, IB
officials carry away over 50 articles daily, leading the
administration to express its helplessness.
According to the sources, the union has become involved in passing
on bundles containing currency by representatives giving the
package a “special kick” after recognizing that it contained money.
This procedure, they maintained, has become common ever since the
Special Branch sat inside a room with a postal representative, with
a financial arrangement worked out to keep each side happy.
A still worse racket was reportedly flourishing at the Local
Sorting Office where lack of surveillance was enabling the Special
Branch officials to seize on bulky looking Karachi packages mailed
from the US and the UK, after passing through the post office in
Islamabad. While the customs staff had earlier this year been
sharing the same room as the Special Branch officials, sources
said, they no longer shared the screening of mail with the
intelligence staff.
Postal authorities said that since the Special Branch officials had
of late begun opening more than 250 articles, the postmaster-
general, Nusratullah Khan had issued instructions to the post
office not to allow the Special Branch to open more than their
prescribed limit. However, according to these sources, more
effective measures are needed to stop the extraction of currency,
including making the censorship list available to the post offices
and introducing transparency in the opening of packages by the
IB/Special Branch police.
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