By Azam Tariq

China’s renewed emphasis on law-based governance and sustained action against organized crime offers valuable experience for Pakistan as illicit networks, smuggling, extortion and weak enforcement continue to undermine business confidence, investment security and formal economic activity, experts say.

According to a report published by China’s official news agency Xinhua, public security authorities have called for intensified and long-term action against organized crime, prioritizing key regions, strengthening grassroots governance and reinforcing rule-based institutions.

The policy direction carries particular relevance for Pakistan, where criminal networks frequently intersect with smuggling routes, informal markets, land disputes, extortion rackets, illegal financial activities and gaps in institutional coordination.

The experts believe Pakistan can draw an important insight from China’s law-based governance model: economic reform and enforcement reform must advance together. Protecting investment, trade and enterprise requires coordinated policing, stronger financial intelligence systems, efficient courts and accountable local governance.

A more secure and predictable business environment, they said, would help strengthen formal markets, encourage investment and support sustainable economic growth.

Tariq Khosa, former director general of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), noted in an article published by Dawn that organized crime in Pakistan has become deeply entrenched across multiple sectors, including drug trafficking, human trafficking, migrant smuggling, firearms trafficking, cybercrime and financial fraud.

Similarly, the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), in collaboration with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), has identified the illegal economy as a major governance and development challenge that weakens the rule of law, distorts markets and hampers economic stability.

Speaking with Wealth Pakistan, Manzar Zaidi, a senior rule-of-law consultant specializing in counter-terrorism and countering violent extremism, said Pakistan’s law-enforcement response must evolve from fragmented policing toward an integrated national framework.

He said China’s anti-organized crime campaigns demonstrate that political commitment delivers sustainable results only when it is institutionalized through clear mandates, measurable performance indicators and continuity in enforcement.

According to Zaidi, Pakistan’s first priority should be the establishment of a National Organised Crime Authority (NOCA) to reduce fragmentation among the FIA, provincial police forces, Rangers and intelligence agencies.

He also advocated the creation of divisional economic crime wings equipped with financial forensic capabilities, arguing that the protection of business activity should become a core enforcement objective rather than a secondary consideration.

“District-level accountability scorecards should publicly track extortion complaints, business grievances and conviction rates, instead of focusing solely on arrest statistics,” he said.

Zaidi noted that Pakistan’s federal structure allows for a phased approach to reform. He suggested that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) could serve as a pilot zone for integrated federal-provincial coordination, real-time crime monitoring systems and fast-track mechanisms to address business grievances.

He further emphasized that former FATA, interior Balochistan and parts of rural Sindh require targeted law-based interventions, as governance gaps in these regions continue to provide space for criminal networks to operate.

To strengthen institutional coordination, Zaidi proposed the development of a national Crime Management Information System linking the FIA, National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA), provincial police forces and the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).

He identified extortion networks, smuggling corridors and criminal infiltration of regulatory institutions as the three most significant threats to Pakistan’s economic activity, each requiring distinct legal and administrative responses.

Zaidi recommended the introduction of a dedicated anti-extortion law, arguing that existing provisions under the Pakistan Penal Code are insufficient to address organized gang-based extortion. He also called for stronger border governance through biometric controls, electronic cargo tracking systems and civil asset recovery mechanisms that enable authorities to seize criminal proceeds through court-supervised processes.

Muhammad Waseem, a PhD research scholar at the International Islamic University Islamabad, told Wealth Pakistan that Pakistan should strengthen customs enforcement through advanced surveillance technologies at border crossings to curb smuggling and illegal trade.

He said tighter monitoring of suspicious financial transactions, greater transparency in public institutions and wider adoption of modern financial technologies would strengthen governance and support economic growth.

According to Waseem, extortion, smuggling and organized criminal activity impose significant costs on businesses by disrupting supply chains, discouraging investment and increasing operational risks.

He urged financial regulators and law-enforcement agencies to expand their digital forensic capabilities and adopt a zero-tolerance approach where organized criminal networks threaten markets, investors and commercial activity.

Waseem also stressed the need to strengthen the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD), accelerate criminal trials, improve witness protection mechanisms and enhance prosecutorial capacity to raise conviction rates and reinforce deterrence.

Credit: INP-WealthPk