Daily Times

LAHORE: Chief Justice of Lahore High Court Yawar Ali on Thursday imposed ban on the hunting of black bucks in the entire province of Punjab.

The chief justice ordered that no hunting will take place.

The chief justice observed that according to convention of international treaty of endangered specie, black bucks was considered to be vulnerable specie which was near to extinction.

Earlier, the CJ was apprised by the forest wildlife department that unfortunately the blackbucks specie has become completely extinct in the entire province due to the hunting and deaths of black bucks due to natural reasons.

The CJ summoned for June 26 the section officer and director general of Punjab forest wildlife with direction to produce the data regarding measures taken to protect the endangered specie of blackbucks.

He expressed dismay that provincial government was not taking enough steps to protect the endangered specie of blackbucks.

He further directed the forest wildlife department also to produce the record of Cholistan Desert area as to how many people have been convicted in the past five years for illegal hunting of blackbucks.

The CJ was hearing a petition seeking ban on hunting of internationally protected blackbucks.

Petitioner counsel Sheraz Zaka pointed out that two years had passed,yet no comments nor any reply had been filed. He said that in Lal Sohanpura Park, Bahawalpur, blackbucks were being stolen and being hunted.

He submitted that according to third schedule, Punjab Wildlife Preservation, Protection Wildlife Act 1972, blackbucks were a protected specie and Punjab government is negligent to perform it’s statutory obligations.

Earlier had had submitted that the Supreme Court had already given its observation that while giving permits in a particular area, it must also be taken into consideration what steps have been taken by the licensee to economically develop the areas where permits have been issued to hunt houbara bustard. He also said that the decision making of foreign affairs must be seen that how the permits were issued without any specification from the Ministry of Climate Change.

He submitted that in exchange an undertaking was given to the governments of developing countries that economic development would take place in those areas where exploration of resources and licensing permits of hunting is granted. He further submitted that it was unfortunate that in Jhang and Bhakkar no economic development had taken place despite the fact that Supreme Court had already issued directions that economic development of those areas would take place where hunting permits were given.

Published in Daily Times, May 11^th 2018.