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In co-operation with the competent authorities, more than 150kg of non-compliant tobacco products were seized and confiscated during an inspection campaign targeting several commercial establishments. The campaign formed part of efforts to combat illicit trade in excise goods and strengthen compliance with tax legislation.The campaign identified violations at several retail outlets, including selling tobacco products without approved tax stamps and excise goods not authorised for sale. Inspections included reviewing licences, documents and relevant records to verify compliance with the requirements governing trade in these goods.The General Tax Authority’s Anti-Tax Evasion Team took the necessary action against the establishments concerned and prepared official violation reports ahead of further legal proceedings.The campaign forms part of ongoing enforcement efforts, including supply chain analysis and auditing, to detect violations and curb illicit trade in tobacco products, helping strengthen tax compliance and protect consumers and public health.The Authority urged commercial establishments and importers to comply with tax laws and their executive regulations. It stressed that importers of cigarettes and other tobacco products must register on the Dhareeba platform under the Digital Tax Stamp system and ensure that products covered by the system carry valid, activated stamps before being imported or traded within the country, to avoid legal liability.The General Tax Authority continues its awareness efforts to help taxpayers understand and fulfil their obligations, alongside monitoring and inspection activities, reinforcing a culture of voluntary compliance. 

Nine people were killed and 31 injured when confiscated explosives accidentally blew up at a police station in Indian-administered Kashmir, police said Saturday, just days after a car blast in Delhi killed a dozen people.The incident happened in Nowgam and the explosives at the police station were recovered from Faridabad in the northern state of Haryana earlier this week, just hours before the powerful blast in Delhi that killed 12 people.Samples from the recovered material were being sent for further forensic examination since Thursday, the region's director general of police Nalin Prabhat said, and the procedure was being handled with "utmost caution" due to its "unstable and sensitive nature"."However, unfortunately during this course (on Friday) around 11:20 pm, an accidental explosion has taken place. Any other speculation into the cause of this incident is unnecessary," he told reporters.The victims included police personnel, forensic team members and two crime photographers and other members from the local administration."The building of the police station has been severely damaged and the adjacent buildings have been affected," he added.Local media reported that the militant organisation People's Anti-Fascist Front (PAFF), said to be close to the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) group, had taken responsibility for the explosion, but the region's police dismissed the claims.Attacks blamed on JeM include the 2001 assault on India's parliament, and the 2019 Pulwama suicide bombing, which killed 40 security personnel."The claim of PAFF or any other Pakistani terrorist group is patently false, baseless and mischievous!" the Jammu and Kashmir police said in a post on X.The explosion comes just days after powerful blast on Monday killed at least 12 people and wounded 30 others in the Indian capital New Delhi.It was the most significant security incident since April 22, when 26 mainly Hindu civilians were killed at the tourist site of Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir, triggering clashes with Pakistan.India's government on Wednesday vowed to bring the "perpetrators, their collaborators, and their sponsors" of the deadly car blast in the heart of the capital to justice and called it an act of terrorism.ash/mtp