2116 Kg Tripatra confiscated at intra-Kashmir trade terminal in Chakothi

 Authorities at a trans-Line of Control (LoC) trade terminal have confiscated around 2116 kilograms of a medicinal plant, extraction of which has been banned in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).

The contraband herb Trillium Govanianum which is locally known as Tripatra was loaded in 42 sacks along with some other stuff on a truck, bearing registration number XA-578, for India held Kashmir through Chakothi-Uri crossing point under the barter trade, Station House Officer (SHO) Chinari Faiz ur Rehman Abbasi told this scribe.  

“As soon as the truck entered the terminal (for scanning) on Thursday night, we got suspicious because of the herb’s smell,” he claimed.

         The trans-LoC trade, it may be mentioned here, is conducted four days a week – from Tuesday to Friday.  

The SHO said that the truck was confiscated along with the commodity and its driver Abdul Rashid, a resident of Muzaffarabad, was also arrested.

A case had been registered under 6-Forest Regulation Act, 1930, he said.

Police had also booked two local traders, identified as Asif Mughal and Anjum Zaman. However, they had obtained pre arrest bail from district and session judge Muzaffarabad on Friday.

SHO Abbasi said police were investigating about other people who could also be involved in the trade of prohibited item.

It may be mentioned here that the list of trans-LoC tradable items includes medicinal plants and herbs. However, in May this year the AJK forest department banned its extraction and trade, following hue and cry in local media that it was being ruthlessly plucked due to huge profit in its sale on the other side of the divide.

According to market sources the herb confiscated on Thursday was worth Rs 9.5 million in Pakistan.

However, in India where it is locally known as Satva or Nagchhatri its cost was around Rs 29.37 million in Indian currency, according to Malick Younis, chief conservator of forests (CCF) in AJK.

In India, its extraction is banned.

According to sources, notwithstanding the ban clamped by the AJK forest department, the unlawful extraction and smuggling had not come to a halt on this side of the LoC, thanks to a nexus of mafias and corrupt government servants.

CCF Younis also admitted that “mafias” had been out to frustrate the ban, taking advantage of poor monitoring mechanism…. Tariq Naqash