Daily Times

Chief Justice of Lahore High Court Yawar Ali on Tuesday constituted a commission under the chairmanship of Dr Parvez Hassan along with Wildlife Department deputy director, which would investigate the extinction of black bucks and propose measures to safeguard protected species.

The chief justice observed that the imposed ban on the hunting of black bucks in the entire Punjab would continue.

The counsel for forest wildlife department informed that unfortunately the black buck specie has become completely extinct in the entire province due to the hunting and deaths of black bucks.

Chief justice expressed dismay on seeing the reply submitted by chief secretary that in year 2016, eight six blackbucks were born out of which 46 blackbucks died due to the sickness of pneumonia and attacks from other animals.

The chief justice was hearing a petition seeking ban on hunting of internationally protected black bucks.

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, black bucks were being stolen and being hunted.

He informed that in India recently, Bollywood star Salman Khan was sentenced for five years’ imprisonment by a trial court in Rajkot for hunting blackbucks. He submitted that according to third schedule Punjab wildlife preservation, Protection Wildlife Act 1972, blackbucks was a protected specie and so the Punjab government is negligent to perform its statutory obligations.

Earlier he had had submitted that the SC 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 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 SC had already issued directions that economic development of those areas would take place where hunting permits were given.

Published in Daily Times, June 27^th 2018.