04 October 2004	Monday	18 Shaban 1425

PESHAWAR, Oct 3: The federal government is working on a law to curb smuggling of livestock to Afghanistan as unauthorized transportation of cattle via the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) has caused shortage in the local market , according to well-placed official sources.

Though the provincial government and Fata administration, said the sources, had taken several steps in their respective areas, the illegal export was still going on because of the involvement of lucrative profits.

A move to put in place a livestock specific anti-smuggling legislative apparatus, said the official sources, had became necessary to deal with the problem effectively.

"There is no livestock-specific anti-smuggling laws in the country, therefore the government has not been very successful in checking the illegal practice," said an official of the NWFP food department.

Prices of meat, particularly that of beef, are much higher in Kabul, Jalalabad and other cities of Afghanistan, in comparison with the prices in Peshawar and other parts of the province.

Greater profits, according to market sources, have encouraged smuggling of cattle to Afghanistan and a strong network of smugglers operating in Fata, the NWFP and Punjab is carrying out this illegal business.

An increase in demand for cattle, conceded official sources, was an important factor contributing to the price spiral the local market had been experiencing over the last several months.

The situation, said the sources, was an offshoot of a decline in Indian live stock which used to feed Pakistani markets. After the Indian government streamlined its livestock sector to promote meat exports, said officials, Pakistan recorded a decline in the arrival of Indian cattle putting Islamabad under pressure.

"Traditionally, Pakistan relies heavily on Indian cattle to meet its meat consumption requirements, but this decline from across the eastern border has left us with insufficient livestock to cater for the local market," said an official.

The unauthorized exports of cattle aggravated the situation and it is being expected that the prices of meat and cattle would keep on increasing because the country is set to experience an increase in demand for livestock as a result of forthcoming Eidul Azha.

Prices of meat, according to the market sources, in Peshawar ranged between Rs95 and Rs120 per kilogramme, going up from Rs70 and Rs75 per kilogramme over four months.

The provincial government, said the officials, had established checkpoints at several places on highways connecting the NWFP with Fata to control this illegal practice.

"Though the move has been effective, the illegal export is still going on," said a well-placed official. Officials said the provincial government could make an effort to stop transportation of the cattle from areas under its jurisdiction to Fata, bordering Afghanistan. But the responsibility to check smuggling of livestock to Afghanistan rested with the federal government and border security forces. The officials said that in the absence of the livestock specific anti-smuggling laws, the provincial government had not been successful to deal with the issue effectively.

The NWFP takes steps under the provincial food stuff control act, 1958, to control prices of edibles at a reasonable level, but it did not cover the livestock, said an official.

Recently, the government also carried out a move to arrest individuals involved in illegally transporting cattle out of its jurisdiction to Fata, but it did not make much difference as the culprits easily managed to get themselves released after paying nominal fine.

Even the checkpoints, said an official, had been established by using the provincial government's administrative powers, but to no avail as there was no legislative piece, at the federal or provincial levels, to check trade of the cattle.

"There is an explicit law meant to regulate exports of meat, but nothing about the movement of cattle to areas across the border," said the official of the food department. However, he was not hopeful about the successful implementation of the anti-smuggling law. Such efforts would go down the drain making the problem more acute, the official said.

It would only encourage smugglers to raise prices of the cattle inside Afghanistan. The government, he suggested, should concentrate more on reproduction and encourage cattle farming to promote the livestock sector.

"Only the anti-smuggling laws would not work as we have been experiencing the tide because of the illegal transportation of several items from across the border. We should enhance our cattle production to take benefit of the situation," said the official.