ISLAMABAD, March 16: Two officials of the Customs, Sales Tax and Central Excise have been dismissed by the Central Board of Revenue (CBR) for facilitating illegal export of falcons.

The dismissed officials were superintendents Anwar Haider Zaidi and Mohammad Asmat Khan of the Multan collectorate, informed sources told this scribe.

Last November, the customs authorities had stopped one Khalid Mahmood Shah at the Multan airport, who was trying to export about 250 falcons worth millions of rupees in the international market.

During the course of investigations, it was found out that the dismissed officials had recorded in the register that Mr Shah had brought 138 birds on a flight on October 10, 2000. However, only 90 falcons had actually been carried in the said flight, the sources said. They also mentioned in the record that the same person had brought 250 falcons on a flight on December 26, 2000, whereas no bird was ever carried on that flight.

It was observed that the customs officials had not recorded the exact number of falcons brought into Pakistan, to allow Mr Shah to take more falcons abroad. Private businessmen buy birds from the local market and add them to the falcons brought into Pakistan.

The accused admitted before the inquiry official that they had been posted to inspect the export and import of falcons in good faith. However, they later changed their statement and said that they had not been on duty on December 26, 2000, and were informed of the clearance of flight by an inspector, Naveed Ali Hamdani. They also said that the falcons belonged to a royal family and were re-exported on attestation by the Pakistani embassy.

Moreover, sources said, when international flights were suspended at the Multan airport, the dismissed officials on a request of Mr Shah issued a self-styled permission to re-export these birds from Islamabad airport.

Falcons are an endangered species and their export is subjected to many restrictions. The bird is also protected under the Punjab Wild Life Act 1974 as amended in 1991.