PESHAWAR, Jan 10: The Peshawar High Court on Thursday asked the Cattle Exporters Association and Pakistan Poultry Association to undertake in writing that there would be no shortage of dairy and poultry products in the province and their prices would remain stable in case the stay order against the export of these items to Afghanistan was vacated.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Dost Mohammad Khan and Justice Khalid Mahmood asked the representatives of the two associations to produce separate undertakings within 10 days and observed that it would examine them on Jan 23 before deciding on vacating the said stay order or not.

Also, the deputy commissioners and district police officers of the relevant districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were warned of action over the smuggling of these items from their respective areas.

The bench directed the Peshawar capital city police chief to plug all unfrequented routes to check smuggling of dairy and poultry products.

It also directed the provincial home secretary to ensure strict compliance with its order and the director of the anti-corruption establishment (ACE) to continue cracking down on smuggling of these items.

Last year, the chief justice had taken suo moto notice of the export and smuggling of cattle, dairy and poultry products to Afghanistan over a report prepared by the court’s human rights cell.

Later on July 23, the court had suspended all export permits issued by the federal government and ordered confiscation of cattle being taken to Afghanistan even by permit holders.

The court also placed a ban on export of poultry products to Afghanistan.

A representative of ministry of commerce, Zahid Abbasi, informed the bench that in accordance with the court order, the modalities formulated by officials of federal and provincial governments and other stakeholders about export of these products to Afghanistan had been referred to the ECC (Economic Coordination Committee) of the federal cabinet and that they had been awaiting its approval following which those modalities would be submitted to the court.

The court had earlier directed the chief secretary to convene a meeting of stakeholders, including the relevant officials of the federal and provincial governments, and formulate modalities regarding the export of cattle and poultry products to Afghanistan in a controlled manner so that there should not be shortage of these items in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the prices should also remain stable.

When the proceedings began on Thursday, the representatives of Pakistan Poultry Association and Cattle Exporters Association requested the bench to vacate the stay order as they had been facing huge losses.

They said the ban on export had led to the smuggling of these items due to connivance of police, customs officials and the relevant political administrations of tribal areas with smugglers.

The chief justice, however, observed that the two associations were to blame for the misery of the poor people. He added that currently, a dozen of eggs were selling at Rs130 suggesting that the poultry farm owners had been earning a lot.