PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court on Thursday declared that the ban on cattle and poultry transportation to Afghanistan would continue until their supply and prices normalised in the local market.

A bench consisting of Chief Justice Qaiser Rashid Khan and Justice Mohammad Nasir Mahfooz also ordered the inspector general of the Frontier Corps to cooperate with the Pakistan Customs for checking the cattle and poultry smuggling to the neighbouring country.

It gave deputy commissioners of the districts along the border three weeks to submit reports about steps taken to implement its orders.

The bench fixed Sept 9 for the next hearing into two petitions filed by citizens Hafeezur Rehman and Malik Sheharyar on high prices of dairy products, adulteration of milk and other issues.

The court had ordered the deputy commissioners in May to stop the transportation of poultry products and their smuggling to Afghanistan.

In June, it again ordered the administrative officers of different districts to ensure the checking of cattle smuggling to Afghanistan.

Court asks FC to help Customs check smuggling

On the court’s order, several officials attended the hearing. They included food secretary Khushal Khan, whom the court nominated the focal person, customs collector Malik Kamran, the deputy commissioners and district police officers of districts bordering Afghanistan, additional attorney general Amir Javed and additional advocate general Sikandar Hayat Shah.

The food secretary informed the court that several relevant officers had promised the complete implementation of its order.

He, however, said the department received the order late but it had taken steps to plug transportation of cattle and poultry products to Afghanistan.

Adnan Aman, lawyer for Pakistan Poultry Association, requested the bench to make his client party to the case.

He said if the relevant department wanted the poultry association representatives to sit with it to find a way-out, the prices of poultry products could come down.

The food secretary said the association had sought permission for the export of eggs and a day-old chicks and if the request was accepted, the poultry crisis would deepen.

The bench allowed the association to become party to the case.

It observed that it was only wanted the people of the province to get poultry products at affordable rates.

The chief justice observed that the court had banned the transportation of poultry products to Afghanistan but even then, poultry smuggling continued.

The bench observed that if an officer was incapable of implementing its order, he should leave his position for a capable officer to deliver.

It added that it didn’t want to damage any business but at the same, it wanted to ensure relief for the local population.

The chief justice observed that only the things, which were surplus in the province, should be exported.

Customs collector Malik Kamran told the bench that the FC personnel had been deputed on the border

to check poultry and cattle smuggling.

The bench observed that it would direct the FC to coordinate with the Pakistan Customs to check smuggling.

It directed the DCs, DPOs and customs collector to ramp up efforts to check the supply of livestock to Afghanistan.

The bench observed that if the cattle transportation outside the country was allowed, its prices would increase manifold and would be out of the people’s reach ahead of Eidul Azha.

Published in Dawn, July 2nd, 2021