Govt to crack down on ‘Hawala system’: Malik

The federal interior minister Rehman Malik. – File Photo

KARACHI: In order to curb the illegal business of transferring foreign exchange through Hawala system, the government had started seizing the money that would stand transferred to the State, federal interior minister Rehman Malik said on Saturday.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of National Crisis Management Cell at Karachi Chamber of Commerce & Industry, he said, we have collected the data of those involved in this illegal trade and the amounts being transferred from different countries.

The government would not allow Hawala trade to continue and any amount came through it, would be seized, he warned.


‘We would support only those who are in possession of license for doing the business,’ said Malik.

Malik further said the government would soon make public the amounts it had seized. Most of the amounts being transferred illegally to Pakistan are from Middle Eastern countries, he added.

Talking about the security of foreign investors, interior minister said he discussed to establish a separate counter at the airport to receive the foreign investors with full protocol and treat them as VIPs.

About the Crisis Management Cell, Malik said he was inaugurating it on behalf of MQM chief Altaf Hussain as it was his idea. This Cell would receive the complaints of businessmen from all over the city with regard to extortion, kidnapping, harassment and other crimes and take swift action. – Agencies