Babar Ghauri orders probe into Australian sheep scandal

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minster for Ports and Shipping Babar Ghauri has ordered an investigation into how Australian sheep infected with scabby mouth disease were allowed to be unloaded in Karachi.

DG Ports and Shipping will head the inquiry and has been directed by Ghauri to submit a report within three days.

The decision by the Federal Minister came after Geo News highlighted that an Australian ship had unloaded 22,000 sheep at Port Qasim, Karachi.

The ship which was not even scheduled to travel to Pakistan unloaded the infected sheep in the country because it was not allowed to do so in Bahrain which was its original destination.

Authorities in Bahrain had discovered traces of scabby mouth disease and had refused the ship to unload the sheep. Prior to Bahrain 53,000 sheep were unloaded in Qatar and Oman.