PESHAWAR, July 29: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has directed the civil law enforcement agencies and district administrations across the province to implement the recent instructions of Peshawar High Court to curb cattle smuggling to Afghanistan.

Moving into action to implement the PHC’s instructions, the home and tribal affairs department has asked the provincial police officer; commandant Frontier Constabulary, divisional commissioners and regional police officers of Peshawar, Kohat, Dera Ismail Khan, Bannu, Malakand and additional chief secretary of Federally Administered Tribal Areas to implement the provincial government’s standing operating procedure (SOP) for transportation of cattle to Fata.

The SOP, issued on October 7, 2011, remained unimplemented, leaving unchecked the unauthorised transportation and smuggling of cattle from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to Fata.

The home and tribal affairs department has asked the mentioned authorities to implement the provincial government’s SOP in line with PHC’s instructions.

According to a press release, the authorities concerned have been informed that PHC had taken a serious notice of an unabated smuggling of cattle despite the provincial government’s SOP issued in October last year.

The department has asked the authorities that orders of the high court and SOP in question may be implemented in letter and spirit.

They have also been asked to submit the compliance report to PHC registrar within 48 hours, after receiving the home and tribal affairs department’s instructions.

Besides, the department has asked the agriculture, livestock and coordination department and provincial director general of livestock department to assign officers to serve as ‘joint signatory’ of the cattle transportation permits for each of Fata agencies in compliance with the court order.

The same information, according to the press release, is required to be submitted to the registrar of the high court.

Taking a suo motu notice on July 23, 2012, PHC Chief Justice Dost Mohammad Khan had suspended cattle export permits until the next hearing on August 2. The court also asked for confiscating Afghanistan-bound cattle, directing the chief secretary of the province to curb cattle smuggling to Afghanistan through unfrequented routes via Fata.

The court moved into action after reports that shortage of cattle in the local markets had led to scarcity of beef and mutton, pushing their prices in several areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Furthermore, the court also asked the provincial and Fata administration to implement, within three days, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government’s SOP for transportation of cattle to Fata.

The Home and Tribal Affairs department, according to its press release, has sent its last year’s SOP to the relevant authorities with instructions to implement it with immediate effect.

The home and tribal affairs department, in line with the SOP, is required to work out cattle quota for each of the seven Fata agencies in consultation with the political agent of the agency concerned. According to the press release, the department has notified the quota in compliance with the court’s instructions.

The SOP also requires the political agents of Fata agencies to prepare lists of ‘notorious cattle smugglers’ and blacklist them.

They would not be issued export permits in future and they would also be arrested under the preventive laws.According to the press release, the provincial government will inform the federal government that the cattle exports to Afghanistan ‘will be via Torkham’ only.