PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court on Tuesday summoned the federal climate change secretary over a petition filed a wildlife trader against the non-issuance of the no objection certificate for the import of a pair of elephants for the Peshawar Zoo from Zimbabwe.

Justice Qaiser Rashid Khan and Justice Abdul Shakoor fixed Feb 4 for the next hearing into the petition of the Mohammad Hanif and Engineer Construction Limited director Mohammad Hanif, who requested the court to direct the climate change ministry to issue NOC for the transportation of elephants from Zimbabwe to Peshawar without delay.

The bench directed the secretary to show up and respond to the petitioner’s claims.

The petitioner has also prayed the court to direct ministry of climate change to take up the matter with inspector general of forests and head of the Convention on International Trade on Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites) as well as any other relevant authority to get extension of reasonable time for transportation of the elephants.

He requested the court to direct the respondents, including the ministry of climate change, Peshawar Zoo, provincial forests and wildlife secretary, KP government through the chief secretary, and others, to repay an amount of Rs92 million incurred on acquiring the elephants to the petitioner in case of failure to extend time period for transportation of elephants to the zoo.

Trader seeks court’s intervention for animals transportation from Zimbabwe to Peshawar Zoo

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa advocate general Shumail Ahmad Butt said the Zimbabwean government had agreed on the export of elephants to Pakistan and officials of Zim Park Wildlife Department, Government of Zimbabwe, had visited Peshawar and found out the site conducive for elephants.

He said the officials had put forward certain suggestions which were also followed by management of the Peshawar Zoo. He said that proper place was allocated in the zoo for the pair of elephants.

He said that elephants had already been purchased and the petitioner had also made arrangement for their transportation to Pakistan.

The AG said the permission of International Animal Committee under the Cites was necessary for the import of elephants.

The bench observed that the permission of the committee had become binding since Aug 2019 and had the government issued NOC earlier, the issue won’t have emerged.

The petitioner told the court that on the provincial government’s orders, he had already purchased a pair of elephants in Zimbabwe, which were being taken care of by the local wildlife department with him paying the expenditure on a daily basis.

He said the denial of NOC by the ministry despite the fulfillment of legal requirements by him was a violation of Article 148 of the Constitution.

The petitioner said on Nov 2, 2017, the Peshawar Zoo’s director had issued a tender through an advertisement for bidding of different animals for the zoo.

He added that he had participated in the bidding process to the extent of Sambar deer, barking deer, double hump camels, zebra, tiger and elephants along with other bidders and his rates for different animals were accepted in line with the specifications of animals.

The petitioner claimed that he was issued work order by Peshawar Zoo’s director for the supply of those animals.

He added he had procured Sambar, barking deer and double-hump camels from the local market and tigers and zebra from Johannesburg (South Africa).

Published in Dawn, January 22nd, 2020