Pakistani authorities have confiscated a record 9,000 kilogrammes of dried meat of freshwater turtles, a protected species in the country, from Karachi port which was being smuggled to Hong Kong.
The customs officials made the seizure last week after they found a suspicious consignment labelled 'dried fish' contained meat of turtle.
"We suspected that the consignment contained turtle meat, bones and skulls. It was an illegal consignment and an international chain was involved in the smuggling bid," said the additional collector of Customs, Irfan Javed.
Imran Ali, a customs official told PTI that the meat was being sent to Hong Kong.
"It was being smuggled by a private company," he said.
This is the largest seizure involving turtles in the country's history that might involve militant organisations.
So far no arrest has been made but a case was registered against the company.
The dried body parts were identified as those of Indian narrow-headed softshell turtles, a critically endangered and protected reptile in the country.
The freshwater turtles are found in the Indus River where their numbers have dwindled to a dangerous level. The turtle meat is smuggled to China and countries of Southeast Asia.
Around 200 of the black spotted turtles, which are listed as vulnerable on the IUCN "red list" of endangered species, were smuggled from Pakistan to Taxkorgan in China's Xinjiang autonomous region in June last year.
