BHC tells govt to take measures to check illegal hunting

QUETTA: Balochistan High Court (BHC) directed on Tuesday the provincial government to hammer out a comprehensive policy to check illegal hunting of endangered species of birds and animals in the province, reported ARY News.

This direction came on a petition seeking measures against illegal hunting in the province.

The bench directed the government to take steps for protection of rare species of birds and animals. It instructed the local administration to assist the forest department in eliminating the practice of illegal poaching and directed the commissioner and deputy commissioner concerned to act against poachers.

The petition has been fixed for the next hearing on Oct 11.

Earlier this year, the Government of Sindh had imposed a ban on illegal hunting of animals and birds in the province.

Provincial Advisor for Forest and Wildlife Muhammad Usman Almani said that the forest department banned hunting of wild animals and birds in the province. He said the foreign nationals who visited Sindh for hunting didn’t pay a licence fee.

Sindh has a rich and centuries-old ecosystem due to the Indus River. Thousands of migratory birds during the winter fly from Siberia to the south make their way to Pakistan.

Houbara bustard is an endangered species also ruthlessly being hunted in Sindh and other parts of Pakistan.

These birds flee the freezing habitats in Syberia and other Central Asian countries and make their way towards the coastal areas of Pakistan, including Badin, Thatta, and Sajawal. The birds pass through Kazakhstan and Afghanistan, a route known as the Green Route or Indus Flyway.