Meat prices sky rocketing in local markets due to cattles smuggling to Afghanistan

Trucks carrying buffaloes to Afghanistan via Khyber Pass

By Ashrafuddin Pirzada
KHYBER AGENCY: Smuggling of cattles and meat of slaughtered animals, fishes and other banned items to Afghanistan through  ghost routes in Khyber Agency has reached to its peak which not only causing price hikes in the local markets but also producing lethal diseases,sources said on Sunday.

A Livestock official who was performing duty on Peshawar-Jamrud road told this scribe that since last several months no truck of cows and buffaloes has crossed their checkpost  as the Peshawar High Court(PHC) has banned cattle and meat to Afghanistan.He said after the ban smugglers using ghost routs in Khyber Agency to smuggle meat and cattles to Afghanistan.However, he said it was not their authority to check the slaughtered animals going to Landikotal and Afghanistan in vehicles.

 On the request of anonymity, a butcher in Peshawar board bazaar and Khasadar official at Michni checkpost near Torkham border told The News that everyday at least one hundred and fifty small and big animals including sheeps, cows and baffelous is being slaughtered in board bazaar and Peshawar tehkal wherefrom,they added, the meat then wrap in cloth before sending it to Afghanistan in vehicles. Not only taxi cars and other mini-coaches but also the Pak-Afgan Dosti buses were also used for meat smuggling to Afghanistan,sources said. 

 According to the sources minimum four hundred cows and buffaloes, 4,000 kilogram of meat and two thousands kilogram of fishes daily enter from Peshawar in Khyber Agency and it further transported to Afghanistan via Michni checkpost and other ghost routes in Khyber Agency.

Health experts said that the smuggled meat always kept in high temperature in hidden cavities of the vehicles which produce diseases.

 Dr Najam,a physician doctor, said that meat of slaughtered animals could be used within one to three hours in winter season while it produce lethal health problems  in summer season if not stored in refrigerator.

 When contacted Foods and Sanitation officials in Khyber Agency they said that it was their duty to check meat of slaughtered animals but the Khyber Agency administration had taken all their authorities into their hands.

The official accused that Food inspectors in Landikotal and Jamrud had no access to check the meat coming from Peshawar in the vehicles. He said that a few months ago they had chalaned few butchers in Torkham bazaar who were selling meat of dead animals and meat of dunkies.

 However,Khyber Agency Livestock incharge official,Dr Ilyas denied the allegations said that they had livestock inspection teams who regularly checking all the slaughterhouses in Peshawar. He said that it was not their concern to monitor the animals and meat that whether it was being smuggled to Afghanistan or not.He said the livestocks teams were responsible to report on daily basis.Adding that their check points on Peshawar-Jamrud road near Hayatabad and at Karkhano police checkpost on the daily basis issue certificates to the animals. 

A taxi driver,who wished not to be named,told this scribe that his taxi was several times used for meat smuggling.He disclosed that in each trip butchers smuggle five hundred kilogram of meat from Peshawar to Afghanistan via Torkham border.Adding that butcher pay Rs 9,00 on each checkpost while they pay Rs 2,0000 per trip at Michni checkpost. Price of meat in Landikotal and Jamrud bazaars raising from Rs280 to Rs 350.

Local residents and butchers in Landikotal and Jamrud bazaars appealed the Khyber Agency officials to stop meat and animal smuggling to Afghanistan so that prices could be controlled during the month of holy month of Ramazan.

 Landikotal assistant political agent Muhammad Tayyab Abdullah on the directives of Peshawar High Court(PHC) directives conducted several surprise raids on Michni and other checkposts in Landikotal and recovered thousands of kilograms meat being smuggled to Afghanistan in taxi cabs.