PESHAWAR: The provincial government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has launched a crackdown on the illegal transport of cattle to Afghanistan, in an attempt to control the rising price of livestock in local markets in the run-up to Eid Al-Adha.
Teams have been sent to the Takhta Beg checkpoint in the Jamrud subdivision of the tribal district to prevent the smuggling of animals, said Syed Masoom Ali Shah, director of the KP Directorate of Livestock and Diary Development.
“The ban on cattle transportation is not new; it had been enforced by the federal government since September 2013,” he added. “But some people still managed to smuggle cattle to Afghanistan through less-frequented routes in the Tirah and Shalman valleys in KP tribal district.”
Dost Muhammad Khan, the chief Minister of KP, on Monday ordered a ban on export of cattle and foodstuffs to Afghanistan from KP, because it was causing shortages and price increases for people in the province, given the high demand during Eid Al-Adha.
The livestock directorate has also set up nine teams to regularly spray animals at cattle markets to prevent the spread of Congo virus.
“In Peshawar alone there are about seven cattle markets and our mobile teams regularly visit and spray the animals at all the markets,” said Shah.
Afghanistan exports sheep to Pakistan but KP supplies buffaloes and cows to Afghanistan, he added.
“For the sheep transported to Pakistan from Afghanistan, we have our experts who check the animals’ health and then allow their transportation into Pakistan,” he explained.
Arbab Saadullah Khan, the owner of Kala Mandi, a major cattle market in Peshawar, welcomed the government crackdown.
“It will definitely lower cattle prices in Peshawar and other parts of KP,” said Khan, a former member of the National Assembly. Most of the cattle in his market come from Multan, Bahawalpur, Gujranwala and other locations in Punjab. “Most of the cattle markets in KP, including Peshawar, receive livestock from Punjab,” he added.
Niaz Muhammad, assistant commissioner of the Landikotal subdivision of Khyber tribal district, said that cattle smuggling had been curbed at the border with fencing.
“Border routes in Shalman and Tirah, through which the cattle used to be smuggled to Afghanistan, have been fenced,” he said. “In the wake of a recent directive by the KP chief minister, the surveillance of these routes has been further strengthened through the paramilitary FC (Frontier Corps) personnel deployed there now.”
Cattle that are seized are often sold at auction because smugglers are usually unable to afford the fines that are imposed, said Muhammad.
Behramand Khan, a spokesman for the KP chief minister, said that the provincial government has directed all divisional commissioners and tribal district deputy commissioners to closely monitor the borders with Afghanistan to prevent smuggling of cattle.
“The KP chief minister himself is monitoring the issue and has asked the deputy commissioners, particularly of those of the tribal districts bordering Afghanistan, to update him on daily basis,” he added.
KP government bans transport of cattle to Afghanistan ahead of Eid Al-Adha
KP government bans transport of cattle to Afghanistan ahead of Eid Al-Adha
- In a crackdown on the smuggling of cattle to Afghanistan, authorities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have dispatched teams to monitor less-frequented routes in the Shalman and Tirah areas
- The provincial government ordered a ban on the transport of cattle and and food to Afghanistan, which has caused scarcity and price increases for local people
Pakistan’s Mahnoor Omer named among TIME’s ‘Women of the Year’ for 2026
- Omer moved a Pakistani court against the so-called ‘period tax’ in Sept. 2025 which has since sparked a national debate
- Taxes on sanitary pads in Pakistan can add up to 40 percent to retail price, UNICEF says only around 12 percent women use such products
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani women’s rights activist Mahnoor Omer, who fought against taxes on menstrual products, has been named among the TIME magazine’s ‘Women of the Year’ for 2026.
Omer’s efforts have been recognized alongside 16 activists, artists, athletes and businesswomen in the TIME’s Women of the Year 2026 list, including Olympic gold medalist Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Oscar-nominated filmmaker Chloe Zhao.
Dissatisfied with the efforts to educate Pakistani girls about sexual violence, Omer founded the Noor Foundation at the age of 14 and held her own workshops with village girls about everything from climate change to menstruation, according to the TIME magazine.
Two years later, a conversation with a domestic worker about the price of pads made her realize that not everyone could afford these essentials. She moved a court against the so-called “period tax” in Sept. 2025 and the case has sparked a national debate on the subject, considered a taboo by many in Pakistan, since its first hearing late last year.
“A decade and one law degree after her interest in activism was sparked, Omer, now 25, is putting her passion and expertise to work in the name of gender equity,” TIME wrote about Omer on its website.
Taxes imposed on sanitary products in Pakistan can add up to 40 percent to the retail price. UNICEF estimates just 12 percent of women in the country use commercially produced pads or tampons. The alternative, using cloth, risks health impacts including rashes and infections, and can make it impossible for girls to attend school while menstruating.
Omer’s suit, which awaits the government response, has sparked a national discussion. She says she spoke about menstruation to her father and male cousins, who thanked her for standing up for their daughters.
The 25-year-old, who is currently enrolled in a master’s degree in gender, peace, and security at the London School of Economics, sees this case as just the first of many.
“I’m not free until every woman is free,” she was quoted as saying by TIME. “I want to leave no stones unturned in terms of what I can do with the next few decades, as a lawyer for the women in my country and gender minorities in general.”
