Authorities seize 1,000 kilograms of donkey meat in Islamabad, arrest ‘foreign national'
The seizure was made during a joint raid by the Islamabad Food Authority (IFA), local police and the Islamabad district administration on a farmhouse in Tarnol area, according to the IFA.
Fifty live donkeys were also recovered from the site and an IFA team was destroying the meat under the supervision of Deputy Director Dr. Tahira Siddique.
Police have lodged a case against the arrested foreign national, who had been running the operation, and are looking for his local facilitators.
'A foreign national was arrested at the site which has been sealed and an investigation is underway,' Muhammad Nasir Butt, a spokesperson for the Islamabad district administration, told Arab News.
'We will conduct further raids as per the findings of the investigation and efforts are also underway to trace local individuals involved.'
Butt said the meat had been packed for 'export to a neighboring country.'
'So far, we have not found any traces of meat being used in the local restaurants, but administration is investigating the matter from multiple angles,' he added.
According to a police report seen by Arab News, the farmhouse had no authorization to process donkey meat or export live donkeys.
'Due to the absence of records for [processing] haram meat, and on the basis of its supply and sale, legal action shall be taken against concerned individuals under Sections 11, 12, 13, and 14 of the Islamabad Capital Territory Food Safety Act, 2021,' the report said.
Pakistan is frequently listed among countries with the highest number of donkey populations worldwide. The country's donkey population rose to 6 million in fiscal year 2024-25, which ended in June, compared to 5.9 million in 2023–24, according to the latest economic survey.
In May this year, Pakistan Customs had foiled an attempt to smuggle donkey hides worth approximately Rs80 million (around $283,800) to China. The staff deployed on the Risk Management Profiling System of the Karachi Customs
Collectorate detected a container number SEGU-3154225 cleared from the South Asia Pakistan Port (SAPT) terminal in Karachi, whose export documents showed 285 packages of leather products were being sent to China.
The animal's meat and hides are quite popular in China. Gelatin derived from donkey hides is highly sought after in China for its use in Ejiao, a traditional medicinal remedy. Several Chinese eateries sell donkey meat and burgers for consumption.
Dr. Siddique, who was part of the team that raided the farmhouse, said the availability of safe and quality food in Islamabad was the top priority of the IFA.
'We are enforcing a zero-tolerance policy against those who endanger public health,' she was quoted as saying by the IFA.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab News
12 hours ago
- Arab News
Pakistan says evidence of money laundering by top real estate firm, founder found by FIA
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's Information Minister Attaullah Tarar announced on Wednesday that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has collected evidence of money laundering, amounting to billions of rupees, by the country's top real estate firm Bahria Town and its founder Malik Riaz Hussain. The development takes place amid a high-profile crackdown against Bahria Town. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Pakistan's anti-graft body, had earlier announced auctioning six Bahria Town properties in August. NAB said the sale aims to recover unpaid amounts from a settlement deal linked to the £190 million case involving Hussain. Hussain has spoken publicly for months about being pressured due to 'political motives' and facing financial losses. In a televised message on Wednesday, Tarar said the FIA had conducted a raid on Tuesday at the Begum Akhter Rukhsana Memorial Trust Safari Hospital, during which it recovered evidence of Bahria Town's money laundering involving Rs1.12 billion [$3.9 million]. He said Bahria Town staff members at the hospital attempted to destroy the documents when the raid was conducted, and that though some records were lost, the majority of the evidence was successfully recovered. 'The action that has been taken, this setup that they [Bahria Town] were running in the hospital, is clear proof that billions of rupees were being transferred out of the country through illegal means to damage its economy,' Tarar said. He said this amount was not sent abroad via official or banking channels, rather through hundi-hawala networks. The minister alleged that the Safari Hospital was being used as a 'front' to conceal cash and official records from authorities. Tarar alleged that a man named Khalil, who oversaw Bahria Town's operations, is currently in custody. Similarly, the minister said individuals named Imran and Qaiser were found to be operating a hundi-hawala network, with connections to Bahria Town's chief financial officer and director of finance. The information minister said the hospital's ambulance was employed to transport documents and money. He said the FIA is investigating the case, saying that the locations of several individuals who have absconded have already been identified. He urged those suspects to present themselves before the law, noting that comprehensive evidence has been collected against them. Tarar assured the residents of Bahria Town that their rights will remain protected during the course of the investigation. 'This action over money laundering is against Malik Riaz and his officials and his family members who are involved in this,' he said. Riaz or Bahria Town has so far not responded to the allegations. HUSSAIN, AL-QADIR TRUST CASE While Hussain has not explicitly named who was pressuring him or why, media and analysts widely speculate the crackdown relates to the Al-Qadir Trust case, which involves accusations former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife, during his premiership from 2018-2022, were given land by Hussain as a bribe in exchange for illegal favors. In January, a court sentenced Khan to 14 years imprisonment in the Al-Qadir Trust case. In 2019, Britain's National Crime Agency (NCA) said Hussain had agreed to hand over £190 million held in Britain to settle a UK investigation into whether the money was from the proceeds of crime. The agency said the assets would be passed to the government of Pakistan and the settlement with Hussain was 'a civil matter, and does not represent a finding of guilt.' The case made against Hussain and ex-PM Khan was that instead of putting the tycoon's settlement money in Pakistan's treasury, Khan's government used the money to pay fines levied by a court against Hussain for illegal acquisition of government lands at below-market value for development in Karachi. Hussain, who hasn't appeared before an anti-graft agency to submit his reply to summons issued to him, has denied any wrongdoing. Khan and his wife have also pleaded innocence. The latest development marks another escalation in the legal troubles facing Hussain, widely regarded for years as Pakistan's most influential businessman, known for close ties with political, media and military elites. On Tuesday, Hussain said in a statement on social media platform X his property empire was on the brink of collapse due to what he termed a politically motivated crackdown. He claimed Bahria Town's bank accounts had been frozen, vehicles seized and dozens of employees arrested, forcing a near shutdown of operations. 'The situation has reached a point where we are being forced to completely shut down all Bahria Town activities across Pakistan,' Hussain said. 'We apologize to the residents and stakeholders of Bahria Town.' Earlier this year in January, NAB put out a public notice cautioning people against investing in Hussain's new real estate venture to build luxury apartments in Dubai.
Arab News
14 hours ago
- Arab News
Pakistan blames ‘Indian-sponsored terrorists' for attack killing 3 paramilitary forces personnel
ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Wednesday blamed 'Indian-sponsored terrorists' for an attack targeting the paramilitary Frontier Constabulary (FC) force in northwestern Pakistan that killed three personnel, state media said. According to the state-owned broadcaster Pakistan Television News, FC's Lance Naik Mehmood Shah, sepoys Shahid and Rauf were killed when militants attacked their vehicle in Pakistan's northwestern Karak city on Wednesday. The driver of their vehicle, Shahpur, was also killed in the attack. Local news channel Geo News quoted Karak District Police Officer Shehbaz Elahi as saying that the FC personnel were targeted while carrying out routine patrolling duties in Karak's Garagri area. 'Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has strongly condemned the terrorist attack by Indian-sponsored terrorists on a vehicle carrying FC personnel in Karak,' PTV News reported. Naqvi extended condolences to the families of the FC personnel and the driver killed, saluting their sacrifices for the nation. 'Mohsin Naqvi emphasized that the sacrifices of these martyrs further strengthen our resolve in the fight against terrorism,' PTV News said. Pakistan has witnessed an uptick in violence in its northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province since a fragile truce between the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the state broke down in November 2022. Pakistan's security forces have been battling TTP fighters in KP, especially its tribal areas, which border Afghanistan. Islamabad has repeatedly blamed Kabul for not taking action against TTP and other militant groups that it alleges operate from sanctuaries on Afghan soil. Kabul denies the allegations. Islamabad also blames New Delhi for arming and training the TTP and insurgents in Balochistan, alleging they carry out subversive activities in Pakistan. India rejects the allegations and accuses Pakistan of exporting 'terrorists' across the border into its country.
Arab News
21 hours ago
- Arab News
Pakistan's top real estate firm to contest court ruling as anti-graft body plans property auction
KARACHI: Pakistan's leading real estate company will challenge a court ruling clearing the way for the auction of six of its properties, its lawyer said on Wednesday, as the country's anti-graft body pushes ahead with a high-profile crackdown involving one of the nation's most powerful business tycoons. The Islamabad High Court dismissed a petition by Bahria Town a day earlier against the planned auction of its properties by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). Shortly after the court issued its short order, NAB announced the auction would proceed as planned on August 7 at its Islamabad office. 'We are going to challenge the decision in the Supreme Court today,' Farooq H. Naik, counsel for Bahria Town, told Arab News. The six properties up for auction include one in Islamabad and five in Rawalpindi. NAB said the sale aims to recover unpaid amounts from a settlement deal linked to the £190 million case involving Malik Riaz Hussain, the founder of Bahria Town. Hussain has spoken publicly for months about being pressured due to 'political motives' and facing financial losses as NAB opens cases against his property development projects across Pakistan. While he has not explicitly named who was pressuring him or why, media and analysts widely speculate the crackdown relates to the Al-Qadir Trust case, which involves accusations Khan and his wife, during his premiership from 2018-2022, were given land by Hussain as a bribe in exchange for illegal favors. In January, a court sentenced Khan to 14 years imprisonment in the Al-Qadir Trust case. In 2019, Britain's National Crime Agency (NCA) said Hussain had agreed to hand over £190 million held in Britain to settle a UK investigation into whether the money was from the proceeds of crime. The agency said the assets would be passed to the government of Pakistan and the settlement with Hussain was 'a civil matter, and does not represent a finding of guilt.' The case made against Hussain and ex-PM Khan was that instead of putting the tycoon's settlement money in Pakistan's treasury, Khan's government used the money to pay fines levied by a court against Hussain for illegal acquisition of government lands at below-market value for development in Karachi. Hussain, who hasn't appeared before an anti-graft agency to submit his reply to summons issued to him, has denied any wrongdoing. Khan and his wife have also pleaded innocence. During Tuesday's court proceedings, according to Dawn newspaper, Naik argued the auction notice was 'illegal, deceptive and issued with mala fide intent,' saying Bahria Town was neither part of any plea bargain nor named as an accused in any reference relating to the UK-originated case. He warned the move could severely damage investor confidence in Pakistan's real estate sector. However, NAB prosecutor Rafay Maqsood told the court Bahria Town's legal team had previously lost a similar case in a lower court before approaching the high court, which granted a temporary stay on June 12, the day the auction was originally scheduled. NAB later moved to have the stay vacated. The development marks another escalation in the legal troubles facing Hussain, widely regarded for years as Pakistan's most influential businessman, known for close ties with political, media and military elites. On Tuesday, Hussain said in a statement on social media platform X his property empire was on the brink of collapse due to what he termed a politically motivated crackdown. He claimed Bahria Town's bank accounts had been frozen, vehicles seized and dozens of employees arrested, forcing a near shutdown of operations. 'The situation has reached a point where we are being forced to completely shut down all Bahria Town activities across Pakistan,' Hussain said. 'We apologize to the residents and stakeholders of Bahria Town.' Earlier this year in January, NAB put out a public notice cautioning people against investing in Hussain's new real estate venture to build luxury apartments in Dubai: 'If the general public at large invests in the stated project, their actions would be tantamount to money laundering, for which they may face criminal and legal proceedings.' In his X post on Tuesday, Hussain appealed to state institutions to adopt a more conciliatory approach. 'I make a final appeal from the bottom of my heart for a chance to return to serious dialogue and a dignified resolution. For this purpose, we assure you of our full participation in any arbitration process and our commitment to implementing its decision 100 percent. I also assure you that if the arbitration decision requires payment of money from our side, we will ensure its payment.' Bahria Town, founded in the late 1990s, is one of Pakistan's largest private employers and a major developer of luxury housing schemes across the country. Over the years, the company has been the subject of multiple investigations over illegal land acquisitions and unauthorized development but has continued to operate.
