Thursday, November 18, 2010

Tire smuggling, Chaman


Tire smuggling, Chaman
Originally uploaded by Ameer Hamza
Smuggling is the best option in Chaman if you want to survive the cut throat competition from various Pathans out there. And for smuggling you need to have guts, some hard cash for the officials, and a sincere single-minded approach towards life and work. Your children should also be great little-smugglers. And indeed there are, if they work on Pak-Afghan border, second in importance to Torkham border near Peshawar, which connects two troubled countries.

I photographed this man carrying loads of tires from across Afghanistan. He was heading towards Customs Office nearby. No wonder Pakistan needs so much International Aid despite so much business. No one pays the taxes. Not these Pathans driving across from Afghanistan. Certainly not the ministers in our cabinet. And surely not our Prime Minister, who did not pay a single Paisa this financial year. Goodness me.

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