PESHAWAR, Aug 3: The home and tribal affairs department has asked all commissioners and police officers to adopt proactive role to curb cattle and poultry smuggling to Federally Administered Tribal Areas and Afghanistan.

In a statement issued here on Friday, the home department directed the quarters concerned to closely monitor the situation and also expose smugglers and their abettors, including government officials.

The Peshawar High Court had observed on Thursday that police was giving protection to illegal transportation/smuggling of cattle and poultry to tribal areas and Afghanistan.

The home department asked the provincial police officer (PPO) that the matter might be monitored personally to ensure that the ongoing illegal practice could be checked and abettors of the crime, if any, in police uniform were taken to task.

Referring to the PHC’s observation the statement said: “In plain words that is abetment of a major crime – a crime that not only finances militancy, ruining our economy, raising prices in the local market, but also gives a bad name to the government.”

The statement said that instructions, if issued to the regional police officers and district police officers that they would be held responsible in case of further complaints on this account, would be quite beneficial in this regard.

The PPO has been asked that the matter (of curbing cattle smuggling) be given top priority, immediate action taken and any practical action taken in this regard be intimated to the home department and the registrar of the high court.

Meanwhile, the government has approved purchase of satellite phones for the district coordination offices of Chitral and Kohistan because of the remoteness of these areas.