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ISLAMABAD, Oct 14 (APP): The Chairman of Fair Trade in Tobacco (FTT), Amin Virk urged the concerned authorities to take decisive action against the growing use of social media platforms by cigarette smugglers to promote and sell their illegal products across the country.
Speaking at a seminar on illegal trade hosted by a local public university in Islamabad, Virk presented FTT’s latest findings, revealing how smuggled cigarettes and other non-duty-paid tobacco products are being openly marketed through social media networks, said a press release.
He noted that the smugglers, mostly operating from Balochistan, have been using platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp, TikTok, and Instagram to advertise their smuggled goods and share full contact details with prospective buyers, “assuring doorstep delivery of their illegal products.”
“These individuals are not hiding anymore. They are running online businesses based entirely on tax evasion,” Virk said.
According to FTT’s estimates, Pakistan is losing nearly Rs. 400 billion annually due to tax evasion by the illegal cigarette mafia. The scale of this loss, Virk noted, could have funded major infrastructure and development projects or significantly contributed to national disaster recovery efforts.
“Every rupee stolen through cigarette smuggling is a rupee taken away from Pakistan’s development,” he said.
He warned that if such online networks are not dismantled, they will continue to undermine fair business practices and discourage legitimate investors. “Legal tobacco companies that follow the law and contribute to the exchequer are losing market share to these lawbreakers,” Virk said.
He said that the illegal trade distorts market competition, destroyed livelihoods in the formal sector, and sending a dangerous message that those who evade taxes can thrive unchecked.