LAHORE: The Punjab Food Authority (PFA) seized on Wednesday 120 kilogram ‘pig meat’ from the parcel office adjacent to the Lahore Railways Station.

Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has taken notice of pig meat supply to eateries of Punjab capital and directed the PFA authorities to submit a report in this regard.

A PFA team headed by Director Operations Ayesha Mumtaz raided the railway station and confiscated a meat parcel. Ms Mumtaz said they got a tip that an organised gang had been supplying the banned food to some Lahore restaurants and eateries for use in edibles. The team later sent the samples of the suspicious meat to laboratory for DNA test and the result is expected within three days.

Officials said the meat was not frozen and had unbearable stench.

Tauseef had got two cans and four bags of meat booked on Khyber Mail from Rawalpindi for Aslam of Lahore through receipt No 127246. The consignment was offloaded from the train around 11am and brought to the parcel office, where a PFA team confiscated it.

The team members opened the blue plastic cans and found that the meat was not of buffalo, cow, sheep, goat or chicken. Identified as Mahmood, the man accompanying the consignment was taken into custody. The suspect informed the PFA team that the meat was meant for a Sheikhupura factory for production of some kind of chemical.

Ms Mumtaz said after getting report of the DNA test, legal action would be initiated against the arrested suspect and his accomplices.

Meanwhile, an official said the Pakistan Railways had been a carrier of all kinds of goods and articles, except those banned by the government. Under the PR rules, contents of all parcels must be declared in writing by the consignor or his authorised agent on the parcel forwarding notes at the time of booking except for the commodities visible when booked by the regular consignors.

“The booking conditions of goods whatsoever are that the packages should be securely packed. In case of liquid or leakable items or those having bad smell, the goods should be in airtight boxes, tins or cans to prevent damaging other goods in transit. If contents are not visible whatsoever is declared by the consignor on railway booking receipt is considered true according to PR rules,” said the official.

Published in Dawn, September 3rd, 2015

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