ISLAMABAD, March 27 At least one million farm animals are being smuggled annually to Afghanistan and Iran from the NWFP and Balochistan with the connivance of government functionaries and law-enforcement officials, according to sources.

The sources accused the Lashkar-i-Islam of being involved in the unlawful activity.

The illegal export of sheep, goats, cows, buffaloes and camels could result in the imposition of a ban on export from Pakistan of meat and animals because of the possibility of transplantation of sick animals, they added.

Under the law, export of livestock is subject to issuance of fitness certificates by the animal quarantine department to avoid the transportation of sick animals.

The sources said businessmen involved in lawful export of livestock had lodged several complaints with the ministries of interior and livestock.

The issue was raised at a meeting held on March 8 and chaired by the secretary of livestock and dairy development ministry, M. Ali Afridi. The meeting discussed the implementation of decisions made by the Economic Coordination Committee on the export of live animals.

Representatives of Federal Board of Revenue, federal interior ministry, ministry of food and agriculture of NWFP and the animal quarantine department, Karachi, attended the meeting.

The sources quoted Mr Afridi as expressing concerns over the refusal by security agencies in NWFP and Balochistan and officials of the two provinces to comply with the ECC's decisions.

The meeting resolved that the matter would be taken up with the heads of law enforcement agencies so that the ECC's decisions were implemented in letter and spirit.

The meeting also proposed that officials of the quarantine department be posted at checkposts in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. The FBR was directed to compile data on the export of animals from May 15, 2009, onwards so that the quarantine department could analyse and reconcile the figures.

It was also resolved that the ministry of livestock and dairy development would ask the food departments of the NWFP and Balochistan to cooperate with the quarantine department to control the illegal export of animals.

Mr Afridi informed the meeting that the ECC had on March 3 asked the ministry of livestock and dairy development to monitor the export of animals and related products as per the export policy, the sources said.

The livestock ministry then evolved a procedure for export of animals, the details of which were sent to the FBR, federal interior ministry, Fata Secretariat, Headquarters of Frontier Corps (in Balochistan and NWFP), food departments of Balochistan and NWFP, and animal quarantine department for implementation.