KARACHI, March 4: Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad has ordered a report on poaching by an army general and certain senior civilian officers in Pai Forest, it is learnt.

In a letter to the provincial chief secretary, the governor's Additional Secretary, Mohsin Mushtaq, said: "The governor has desired that he may be apprised of the action taken in the matter by the Government of Sindh."

According to sources, the governor's move came when he was approached by Mr Abdul Karim Lodhi, a former vice-chairman of the Sindh Wildlife Management Board who is also the former head of the Ad-hoc Public Accounts Committee of Sindh.

Mr Lodhi had maintained that a serious offence involving blatant violation of laws had been committed by the army general and the senior officers of Sindh Irrigation Department in the Pai forest in Nawabshah district.

He had identified those involved as Lt-Gen Imtiaz Shaheen, Chief Irrigation Engineer at Sukkur; Ghulam Nabi Shaikh, Executive Irrigation Engineer at Moro; Manzoor Magsi, Medical Superintendent at Nawabshah hospital; Dr Nisar of Sakrand; TPO Jang, Sher Rana; and two influential figures of Nawabshah, Anjum Shah and Mr Shaharyar, who had hosted the illegal safari. Another two army officers who could not be identified, were also with them.

According to Mr Lodhi, Wildlife officials Ghulam Rasool Channa and Saeed Akhtar Baloch informed Lt-Gen Imtiaz Shaheen that "government has closed Pai Game Reserve for three years; even Sakrand Taluka is closed this year for partridge shooting; a special permit issued by chief minister is essential to shoot in the Pai."

The general was also informed that Saturday was not a shooting day, he stated. It was also made clear to the team that if they resorted to shooting for poaching in the game reserve, they would be indulging in illegal acts and committing offences prescribed in Sindh Wildlife Protection Ordinance 1972, Mr Lodhi further stated.

"All right! you have done your duty, now you can go and leave us to follow our programme," the team was quoted by the complainant as telling the Wildlife officials.

He claimed that the poachers had also proceeded to the Deh Akro-II Wildlife Sanctuary, already declared a Ramsar Site, in Nawabshah and tried to poach on marsh crocodiles and in the process they injured and maimed a protected crocodile species.

Mr Lodhi, who is also a former chief secretary, urged the governor that the civilian officials involved be placed under suspension and an appropriate action be taken against them under the wildlife protection laws.

He also urged the governor to apprise Gen M. Yusaf Khan, Vice Chief of the Army Staff at GHQ, Rawalpindi, about the offence committed by Lt-Gen Imtiaz Shaheen and the army officers accompanying him, and request him for disciplinary action in this regard.

Mr Lodhi has also sent copies of the letter to Chief Minister Ali Mohammad Mahar, Vice Chief of army Staff Gen M. Yusaf Khan and Corps V Commander Lt-Gen Ahsan Saleem Hayat.

He has maintained that if appropriate action was not taken against the team, others would be encouraged to violate the relevant laws and it would be very difficult for the Wildlife officials to ensure an effective check on illegal poaching.