KARACHI: The government of Sindh has imposed ban on the hunt of animals and birds in the province, ARY News reported on Wednesday.
Provincial Advisor for Forest and Wildlife Muhammad Usman Almani has said that the forest department has banned hunting of wild animals and birds in the province.
He said the foreign nationals who visited Sindh for hunting didn’t pay the licence fee, “We will write to the federal government for payment of this amount”.
Talking on the dispute over the licence fee for hunting, the advisor said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs can only recommend to the province for issuance of the licence for hunting, while it is the domain of the provincial government to issue licences to foreign hunters.
Sindh has a rich and centuries old ecosystem due to the Indus River. Thousands of migratory birds during the winter fly from Siberia to south make their way to Pakistan.
Houbara bustard is an endangered specie 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.
The wetlands in Sindh provide a suitable habitat for the birds and they feed on fish. Every year, around 900,000 birds arrive in Pakistan from different parts of the world but there was an 8% decline in 2018, according to experts.
Pakistan has banned the hunting of endangered and migratory birds. These migratory birds are not only an important part of the ecosystem, but also add beauty to the lakes as birdwatchers come to see them.
