Islamabad, April 22:

The Pakistan government has ratified a South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) agreement on preventing illegal trade through customs and undertaking joint surveillance of cargo in the region.

The Pakistan cabinet ratified the Agreement on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Customs Matters on April 12, government officials here said. The SAARC Agreement on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Customs Matters would facilitate sharing of intelligence and information and joint surveillance of suspected cargoes among the seven member countries — India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

“All governments will notify focal points in each country for quicker exchange of trade-related information, which will lead to detection of customs offences,” a government official said. The pact will facilitate proper application of customs laws and help in the prevention and investigation of customs offences. The agreement was signed in November last year in Dhaka and had to come into force from January 1 but Pakistan could not implement it as the cabinet had not ratified it.