• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Trending:
  • Kashmir
  • Elections
Saturday, July 12, 2025

Daily Times

Your right to know

  • HOME
  • Latest
  • Iran-Israel Tensions
  • Pakistan
    • Balochistan
    • Gilgit Baltistan
    • Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
    • Punjab
    • Sindh
  • World
  • Editorials & Opinions
    • Editorials
    • Op-Eds
    • Commentary / Insight
    • Perspectives
    • Cartoons
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Featured
    • Blogs
      • Pakistan
      • World
      • Ramblings
      • Lifestyle
      • Culture
      • Sports
  • Business
  • Sports
  • Lifestyle
  • E-PAPER
    • Lahore
    • Islamabad
    • Karachi

APP

Illegal smuggling of oil mars Green Turtles’ habitat along Daran Beach

The country’s one of the biodiversity rich seashore is facing a serious risk of species loss as illegal oil smuggling being carried out through Daran Beach located in Jiwani, endangering existence of exotic species of Green Turtles, nesting on the coast.

The Green turtles (Chelonia mydas) nest on beaches along the coast of Pakistan throughout the year, with the peak nesting season between September and October. Daran supported the highest number of nesting sea turtles, Senior Technical Advisor to World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF-Pakistan) Muhammad Moazzam Khan told APP while sharing facts of his study carried out in this regard.

Khan said, Daran due to its remote proximity, was a favourable habitat for green turtles thriving in the region and the only threat it had faced was of predation by feral dogs, jackals, and foxes which dig up eggs, and gulls which prey on hatchlings crossing the beach to the water. Daran is close to the border between Pakistan and Iran. Because of the porous border, a number of commodities are being smuggled between the two countries.

Fish is the usual product smuggled from Pakistan to Iran, whereas petroleum products (mainly diesel, petrol, grease, and bitumen) are smuggled from Iran to Pakistan, he cited.

One of the main cause, Khan said, of increased oil smuggling from Iran was its cheaper oil prices due to an oil producing country as compared to Pakistan having quite higher prices.

“In the Jiwani area, this smuggling usually occurs in the creek system north of Daran” he said.

The Iranian oil is often moved illegally into Pakistan in tankers and jerry cans mounted on pickup trucks and motorcycles in full view of the watchdogs and authorities concerned, the WWF official cited.

After punitive actions of border security agencies and customs authorities against fuel smugglers; it caused a temporary stoppage of the illegal trade. However, the oil smuggling strata then look for alternate routes for continuation of their illicit trade, he underscored.

In October 2020, after authorities had taken action against the smuggling of fuel from Iran into Jiwani via the usual route, the culprits involved in the trade brought oil via sea route to Daran Beach for a period of 35 days, he informed. The beach had not been previously used for such activities.

There is no landing facility at Daran, and the oil was carried in jerry cans from Iran and offloaded on to the beach at high tides. This activity was mainly conducted during the daytime while low-level turtle nesting continued at night, he said. The WWF official avoided any interaction with the smugglers at Daran Beach. However, he noted different observations including compaction of sand, trampling of turtle nests, spillage of fuel, impact of fuel on embryos and hatchlings and also the smuggling activity described continued for intermittent time period and was expected to resume after intensive action would diminish at the offset of summer season.

The coastal communities of Jiwani, he said, have urged the government to keep a vigil and prevent illicit fuel smuggling through Daran Beach as it would have serious impacts on turtle nesting and other biodiversity of the area. Khan informed that there were total seven species of green turtles and five of them existed in Pakistan whereas, the Daran Beach of Jiwani was the most precious one in terms of overwhelming biodiversity found in the area. When contacted, the Environmental Protection Agency officials and Deputy Commissioner Gwadar were not available for their version over the matter.

It is to be noted here, the Deputy Commissioner Gwadar lifted ban on oil transportation through Kuntani where card holders were allowed to transport oil with effect from August 7, under strict COVID-19 protocols.

Filed Under: Pakistan

Submit a Comment




Primary Sidebar




Latest News

Truce intact but India not willing to accept defeat: Dar

Govt vows no mercy after 9 passengers killed in Balochistan

UAE to ease visa process for Pakistanis

Judicial top brass forms body to address issue of enforced disappearances

NDMA warns of heavy rain, flash floods across Pakistan

Pakistan

Truce intact but India not willing to accept defeat: Dar

Govt vows no mercy after 9 passengers killed in Balochistan

UAE to ease visa process for Pakistanis

Judicial top brass forms body to address issue of enforced disappearances

NDMA warns of heavy rain, flash floods across Pakistan

More Posts from this Category

Business

Crypto for Muslims? Binance launches ‘Sharia Earn’

Motorbikes, three-wheelers sale increases 32.5%

Pakistan, Vietnam to initiate talks on preferential trade deal this year

Weekly inflation declines by 1.23% on year-on-year basis

Govt trims profit rates on CDNS, savings schemes

More Posts from this Category

World

Sinner beats Djokovic to set up final against Alcaraz

Nearly 800 Gazans killed awaiting aid distribution: UN

Bosnia commemorates 30th anniversary of Srebrenica genocide

More Posts from this Category




punjab

Footer

Home
Lead Stories
Latest News
Editor’s Picks

Culture
Life & Style
Featured
Videos

Editorials
OP-EDS
Commentary
Advertise

Cartoons
Letters
Blogs
Privacy Policy

Contact
Company’s Financials
Investor Information
Terms & Conditions

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Youtube

© 2025 Daily Times. All rights reserved.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.