US, Pakistan launch project to check dangerous chemicals

Islamabad, Nov 13: Pakistan and the US today launched a project to keep the world safer by preventing the illicit movement of dangerous chemicals.

End Use Verification (EUV) project of Pakistan Customs Service, which will help monitor chemicals that are used both legally and illegally, was launched by US ambassador Richard Olson and Federal Board of Revenue Chairman Tariq Bajwa.

"The partnership between the Pakistan Customs Service and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) is based on genuine respect and the sense of a shared mission to keep citizens of Pakistan, the United States, and countries around the world safer by preventing the illicit movement of dangerous chemicals," Olson said.

The US embassy here said the launch also provided an opportunity to commemorate the partnership between Pakistan Customs Services and the United States HSI Office.

The EUV project will allow Pakistan Customs, a wing of the Federal Board of Revenue, to safely facilitate the entry of dual-use chemicals being imported for legitimate purposes, while also investigating and preventing the entry of chemicals intended for use in explosives.

The EUV project consists of 80 Pakistani teams that will carry out verification checks nationwide.

To bolster the effectiveness of the EUV project and help ensure it is a long lasting effort, the US has donated 80 Toyota Hilux trucks, 160 body armor suits, over 10,000 chemical test kits, five electronic hand-held chemical analysis units, cameras, binoculars and gloves to Pakistan Customs.

The EUV project has already garnered attention outside the country as the Pakistan Customs was recognised as a trendsetter in preventing the illicit movement of dual-use chemicals used to make explosives.

The World Customs Organisation has adopted the EUV project as the model to be replicated by customs administrations around the world.

PTI