LAKKI MARWAT: Special assistant to the chief minister for technical education Shah Mohammad Khan Wazir and adviser for prisons Malik Qasim Khattak on Sunday announced lifting of the ban on crane hunting in the region.

The announcement was made at a big gathering of hunters organised by the Crane Welfare Society at Gandi Chowk. Crane hunters from Lakki Marwat, Bannu, Karak, North Waziristan and other areas were present on the occasion.

Mr Wazir and Mr Khattak told the hunters that the provincial government had lifted the ban for two weeks after they convinced Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chief Imran Khan and Chief Minister Pervez Khattak on the matter.

“The crane hunting is a traditional activity and hunters should avoid shooting the Siberian birds,” they said, adding that hunting was allowed only through traditional methods.

Mr Wazir said that the government might not ban hunting in future if hunters pledged that they would not use guns to kill the cranes. He asked the wildlife department officials to hand over the seized birds to their owners.

Mr Khattak said that the officials would face action if they did not stop harassing hunters. He said that lifting of ban on crane hunting was the outcome of the hunters’ unity. He asked the people to strengthen the hands of Imran Khan for bringing a real change in the system.

Officials included former provincial minister Umar Farooq, Crane Welfare Society president Abdul Wahab, Iqbal Hussain of PPP, Salim Nawaz of PTI, Ihsanullah Khan of JUI-F and others.

When contacted, Bannu wildlife department DFO Abdul Haleem Marwat said that the department had not received any orders as yet and therefore no one would be allowed to hunt the Siberian bird. “The hunters will have to abide by all relevant laws to trap birds if the ban on hunting cranes is lifted,” he said.

Published in Dawn March 16th , 2015

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