PESHAWAR, Aug 15: The Peshawar High Court on Wednesday extended its ban on transportation of cattle and poultry products to Afghanistan until the next hearing on Sept 6.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Dost Mohammad Khan and Justice Roohul Amin Khan directed the provincial police officer and home department to issue fresh directives to the relevant officials to strictly enforce the ban.

It asked the government to ensure that cattle and poultry items are transported to tribal areas in line with the quota specified for each of tribal agencies.

The bench fixed Sept 6 for next hearing with the direction to representatives of different departments to submit progress report.

The chief justice had taken suo motu notice of the export and smuggling of cattle and poultry products to Afghanistan over a report prepared by the court’s human rights cell.

On July 23, the court had suspended all export permits issued by the federal government and said any permit holder carrying cattle heads of any kind to Afghanistan be liable to confiscation.

The bench expressed displeasure over the failure to assign duties to seven price magistrates notified by the home department on the orders of the court with the direction to the Peshawar district coordination order (DCO) to assign them duties until Thursday noon failing which action would be taken against them.

The court ordered all DCOs, price magistrates and ration controllers in the province to check artificial price hike created by black marketers and hoarders, and ensure that daily use commodities are sold at government approved rates.

The chief justice observed that the said officials should come out of their offices to see how profiteers had made the life of common man miserable.

He also said official rate for chicken was Rs160 per kg, while chicken was sold for more than Rs170 per kg.

The chief justice directed the officials to confiscate chicken from the vendors, who sold it on higher rates and should sell the seized items at government rates.

The bench expressed annoyance over the performance of the joint checkposts manned by officials of police, livestock, food and other relevant departments and observed that they had reports that the officials deputed there had not been performing their duty properly.

The chief justice observed that they had reports that officials of police department had been conniving with smugglers and receiving gratifications from them.

He said smugglers had been using unfrequented routes to carry out their illegal acts.

Additional secretary of the home department Shafirullah Khan assured the bench that they would look into the matter and take action against the responsible officials.

He added that his department had been trying its best to check transportation of cattle and chicken to Afghanistan in line with the court orders.

The court observed that the cattle and poultry export permits suspended by the court last month would remain suspended until the next orders.