ISLAMABAD, Feb 22: The government here on Wednesday said it would check the movement of live birds and poultry products from India to Pakistan through the Khokrapar-Munabao train to control the spread of avian influenza (H5N1).

“We have not so far checked the Khokrapar-Munabao train, but would do it from now to make sure that no poultry products or live birds enter our country,” Federal Agriculture Minister Sikandar Hayat Bosan told a news conference here on Wednesday.

The minister also dispelled reports of inter-provincial ban on movements of poultry products and any controversy between the NWFP and federal government in this regard.

Reiterating the government’s stance, he said: “We still don’t have bird flu in the country and are making all possible preparations to control and prevent the disease.”

Mr Bosan said Minfal had already approved a Rs39.85 million project to control avian influenza in the country. The government in consultation with the donor agencies was preparing another $6.8million plan to counter the challenge, he added.

A national reference laboratory for avian influenza had been established at the National Agriculture Research Centre (NARC), Islamabad. The lab had the facilities for serological and molecular diagnosis and virus isolation and characterisation.

It was recognised as hub lab for Saarc countries by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations, he maintained.

“Two weeks ago, we have trained scientists from all Saarc countries as well as Afghanistan for the diagnosis of avian influenza at the laboratory at NARC,” the minister said.

A network of 12 satellite laboratories had been established with the capacity to diagnose avian influenza, he said.

These laboratories are located in Karachi Hyderabad, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, Abbotabad, Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar Quetta, Gilgit and Muzaffarabad.