ISLAMABAD: In a major crackdown on illegal meat trade, the Islamabad Food Authority (IFA) has seized about 1,000kg donkey meat from a farmhouse located in Tarnol.

Over 50 live donkeys were also confiscated during a raid on the premises and a foreign national was taken into custody on the spot.

According to a spokesperson for the Islamabad district administration, an FIR has been registered against the foreign national following the recovery.

Authorities believe the meat was being prepared for supply to foreign restaurants and individuals.

“We are investigating where the donkey meat was being delivered. Local accomplices involved in the supply chain are also being traced. The case is being pursued from multiple angles,” the spokesperson said.

Islamabad Food Authority orders cases against all suspects to dismantle network

The raid was carried out by a team led by IFA Deputy Director Dr Tahira Siddique. The arrested individual was handed over to police for further investigation.

Dr Siddique directed the police to register cases against all parties involved and to dismantle the entire network.

She also ordered the confiscated meat to be destroyed, adding investigators were working to identify the end recipients of the supply.

Sources within the food authority, however, said that initial findings had suggested the meat was intended for foreigners. They noted that the packaging found on-site was sophisticated, indicating it may have been prepared for export or high-end distribution.

The sophisticated packaging shows that it was intended to be exported or supplied to some foreigners in the federal capital. As there were over 50 alive donkeys so it is out of question that they were selling the meat of donkeys who occasionally die, they said.

They said that, according to initial investigation, the business was being run by a foreigner living in the area for a long time. However, they said the farmhouse was not registered for such an activity.

Meat sellers hail action

In response to the incident, the Jamiatul Quresh Meat Welfare Association praised the swift action by the IFA and renewed its longstanding demand for the establishment of a regulated slaughterhouse in the capital.

During a meeting held in Aabpara Market, chaired by Association President Khursheed Ahmed Qureshi and attended by other members, including Javed Qureshi, Sardar Zaheer Ahmed, Zahid Masood Khan, and Iqbal Qureshi, the group said the absence of a government-managed slaughterhouse had allowed such illegal operations to thrive.

They urged President Asif Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi to take immediate notice of the matter and ensure preventive measures are in place.

The association called for the immediate establishment of a slaughterhouse in I-11/4, emphasising that doing so would help stop the sale of unregulated and unhygienic meat. They also demanded strict legal action against all individuals involved in illegal meat trade.

Pakistan exports donkey hides and meat to China.

Published in Dawn, July 28th, 2025