800 bags of animal parts, herbs seized

Confiscated goods were concealed in the export consignment of ‘non-herbal’ products

KARACHI:

In a joint operation conducted by the Sindh Wildlife Department and the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF), 800 bags containing wild animal body parts, rare herbs and other prohibited items were confiscated from a container slated for Saudi Arabia at Port Qasim on Saturday.

Sindh Wildlife Department Conservator Javed Meher stated that the recovered items included herbs found in the forests of Azad Kashmir, as well as horns of the Sambhar deer, Shilajit (black bitumen), Mulethi (licorice), and other herbal products.

Reportedly, the seized items had been clandestinely concealed by declaring them as non-herbal products for smuggling purposes.

The export and import of such items are subject to various regulations including the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) rules and local provincial laws.

According to these regulations, obtaining permits from the CITES Management Authority of Pakistan and certification from the local Department of Forests and Wildlife is mandatory for the export of wild plants, animals, and their parts.

Interestingly, the confiscated herbs, traditionally used for domestic remedies such as cough, respiratory ailments, and digestive issues, have been part of an illegal trade network.

Conservator Javed Meher emphasised the importance of local involvement and private sector cooperation, suggesting that legal and certified cultivation and marketing of forest-grown herbs could yield foreign exchange, a model followed by many countries worldwide.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 27^th, 2023.