KARACHI: The Secretary of Karachi Meat Merchants Association, Mr. Iqbal Ahmed Qureshi, demanded at a Press conference yesterday [May 15] that an inquiry committee be appointed by the Government to investigate the sale of horseflesh and donkey meat to the public. He condemned the anti-social elements of Nawabshah for slaughtering horses and donkeys to earn huge profits through this sordid trade.

A delegation of the Association … visited Nawabshah … to inquire into the “affair”, and claimed that none of the “Ahle-e-Quresh” … was involved in the racket. He said some “outsiders” had done the job. … He said 40 to 50 per cent sale of meat in Karachi dropped after the publication of reports that Nawabshah’s butchers were selling horseflesh and donkey meat here.

The butchers … were devout Muslims and they could not think of indulging in such a heinous crime. He, however, admitted there were stray cases when some butchers had slaughtered sick or dead animals, but he put the entire blame on the KMC inspectors for letting it happen. Meanwhile, Rana Azhar Ali Khan, Secretary, Chamber of Consumers … appealed to the Chief Minister to appoint ulema for supervising animal slaughtering.

Published in Dawn, May 16th, 2024