The government of NWFP has directed all the concerned district co-ordination officers (DCOs), political agents, district food controllers, rationing controllers in NWFP to take all possible steps and measures to control illegal export and smuggling of live animals from Pakistan to Afghanistan and Iran.
In a letter issued here on Friday by the food department NWFP, it has been stated that the ministry of food, agriculture and livestock had suspended the issuance of NOCs for export of live animals from April 12, 2004 till further orders under the directives of Prime Minister of Pakistan.
However, the ministry has noticed that NOCs permits are still being issued and illegal movement/smuggling of livestock continues to take place across the borders of Afghanistan and Iran which jeopardised the efforts to implement the Prime Minister's directives.
Consequently the Economic Co-ordination Committee (ECC) in its recently held meeting has decided that ban on export of live animals should be fully complied with and no license issued by any official of any province or the federal government.
It has further been said in the letter of provincial government that the federal government has banned the export of livestock and therefore no permits are being issued but still the illegal trade and smuggling of animals are going on.
All the concerned have been directed that keeping in view the decision of the federal government this illegal smuggling of livestock should be controlled at all cost for which all necessary steps should be taken forthwith so that in the local market the shortage of meat is checked on one hand and the inflationary trend in the prices of meat is blocked amicably on the other, it concluded.