PESHAWAR: A Peshawar High Court bench on Wednesday directed the provincial government to take immediate steps to check smuggling of sacrificial animals to Afghanistan to avoid their shortage on the occasion of Eidul Azha.

Justice Ibrahim Khan and Justice Abdul Shakoor Khan issued notices to the provincial chief secretary, inspector general of police, agriculture and livestock secretary and other respondents asking them to respond to a petition jointly filed by lawyers Ashfaq Ahmad Khalil and Mohammad Yasir Khattak against the ‘unchecked’ smuggling and transportation of sacrificial animals to Afghanistan.

The petitioners also requested the court to order a ban on the export of sacrificial animals to Afghanistan at least until the third day of Eidul Azha.

The bench directed the government to ensure that illegal transportation of sacrificial animals through different routes don’t take place.

Petition seeks ban on export of sacrificial animals until third day of Eidul Azha

The respondents in the petition are the provincial government through its chief secretary, agriculture and livestock secretary, IGP, Peshawar capital city police officer, commissioner of Peshawar division, and deputy commissioners of Peshawar and Khyber districts.

Petitioner Yasir Khattak said Pakistanis would celebrate Eidul Azha in the upcoming month of August.

He said in the past, the KP government banned the transportation and export of cattle to Afghanistan from the province at least until the third day of Eid as the illegal transportation and export of sacrificial animals to Afghanistan caused their shortage and thus, escalating prices.

The petitioner said the cattle prices had increased manifold in the country, especially in the province.

He said the government hadn’t taken any step to check illegal transportation and export of sacrificial animals to Afghanistan, which would result in their higher prices in the province.

The petitioner claimed that different routes were used to smuggle cattle to Afghanistan, while the authorities concerned had turned a blind eye to it.

He said last year, the same problem had occurred causing the shortage of sacrificial animals in the local cattle markets, so their prices surged.

The petitioner said the sacrificing of cattle on the occasion of Eidul Azha was a religious obligation but even the people belonging to the middle class were not in a position to do so due to higher animal prices, while the unabated transportation of cattle to Afghanistan had added to their misery.

Published in Dawn, July 11th, 2019