Thousands of sheep daily smuggled from Kandahar

KANDAHAR (Pajhwok): The residents of southern Kandahar province say thousands of sheep and goats are smuggled from the province to neighboring Pakistan on a daily basis, depleting stocks and sending mutton price skyrocketing.

The  residents say hundreds of trucks carrying sheep and goats cross into Pakistan through the Spink Boldak border crossing and police allow the smuggling in return for money.

Abdul Samad, who lives in Spin Boldak Wesh bazaar, told Pajhwok hundreds of vehicles were seen on a daily basis carrying animals from Kandahar to Pakistan.

He said the smuggling had become a lucrative business and dealers used to buy sheep from Kuchi tribe people and livestock owners against a relatively high price and smuggle the same to Pakistan.

He said the smuggling had resulted in increased price of mutton and sheep and goats. Samad said the smuggling continued despite the government’s order banning cross border movement of animals.

He said security officials did not prevent the smuggling and instead took money from the smugglers.

Similar views were expressed by Abdul Wasi, a livestock dealer in Kandahar City. He said the smugglers used to bring big vehicles and buy animals from owners against a relatively high price and smuggle the same to Pakistan.

He said the price of sheep soared from 10,000 to 15,000 afghanis as a result of the smuggling. He said the smuggling continued unchecked despite the official ban.

Wasi said thousands of sheep and goats were brought to Kandahar on a daily basis from Ghazni, Uruzgan and other provinces and districts and the bulk of the animals were smuggled to Pakistan.

Extension manager at the Kandahar agriculture and livestock department, Mohamadullah Noori, confirmed sheep smuggling to Pakistan on a large scale.

He said as part of their responsibility they had shared the smuggling issue with the governor’s house, the provincial council and security organs again and again, but one acted to curb the smuggling.

“The figures we have show more than 3,000 sheep are smuggled to Pakistan daily,” he said, calling the phenomenon a great blow to the Afghanistan livestock sector.

He said police instead of preventing the smuggling of animals used to take 1000 afghanis from each truck to allow it to proceed.

Provincial council chief Haji Syed Jan Khakrezwal said they had received complaints about the smuggling of sheep to Pakistan and the issue would be discussed in a meeting of the council.

He asked security organs to prevent the smuggling and arrest those involved. He said it had been decided to form a joint commission of representatives of the municipality, the agriculture department and other relevant organs to the smuggling of sheep.

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