By Shabbir Mir in The Express Tribune, November 22nd, 2014.
GILGIT: Lawyers in Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) on Friday urged the Pakistan Army to fill the vacuum left by civilian governments and guarantee constitutional rights to the people of the region.
“It is about time the army steps in to provide fundamental human and constitutional rights to the people of G-B,” Advocate Shehbaz Khan, vice president of G-B Bar Council, told journalists at the Gilgit Press Club.
The Bar Council’s executive committee chairman Mir Akhlaq and chairman of the standing finance committee Javed Iqbal were also present on the occasion.
“Now the army is our last hope,” Khan said. “Over the past 60 years, we have tried in vain to urge governments to provide constitutional rights to the people of G-B.”
Islamabad has deceived the people of the region through the G-B Empowerment and Self Rule Order 2009, he added.
Khan said the G-B assembly had passed a law in 2010 regarding the appointment of a chief election commissioner. However, this was recently written off by an order issued by a secretary in the Ministry of Kashmir Affairs. “This is not the empowerment we were promised,” he said.
According to Khan, the orders issued from time to time by the Ministry of Kashmir Affairs regarding G-B are unconstitutional and also contravene Rule 20 of the Rules of Business 1973. He insisted lawyers would challenge these orders in the Islamabad High Court.
Akhlaq criticised the federal government for turning a blind eye to the region’s constitutional status and instead choosing to accept the demands of Baloch separatists.
Speaking on the occasion, he said there was widespread support among the people of G-B for the region to be granted provincial status. “I wonder if we must act like Baloch separatists for the rulers to address our grievances,” Akhlaq said.
In response to a question, Akhlaq said lawyers had not approached the Supreme Court of Pakistan to redress their grievances because they cannot afford the exorbitant fees of hiring a senior lawyer to fight their case.
The demands have been raised a month before the G-B government completes its five year term. After the government bows out on December 10, a caretaker government will take its place till elections are held next year.http://tribune.com.pk/story/794992/voice-of-dissent-where-is-the-empowerment-we-were-promised/
Markhor hunting permits auctioned off for over $61,500 each
By Shabbir Mir in The Express Tribune, November 21st, 2014.
GILGIT: Big game hunters bid over $61,500 for each of four permits giving them a chance to hunt the endangered markhor in SKB-Sassi Harmosh area in Gilgit. Markhor is Pakistan’s national animal.
Muhammad Ali Shah, a hunting outfitter representing Zoon Safari, an Islamabad-based firm, was the highest bidder with $62,000.
The auction which took place on Thursday was supervised by Wildlife and Parks Conservator Ghulam Muhammad and conservator Wilayat Noor at the office of Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) conservator for wildlife and parks. The opening bid fixed by the government ahead of the hunting season—from November to April—was $60,000 for markhors.
“We are grateful to the communities and outfitters who play a major role in conserving wildlife,” said Ghulam Muhammad while addressing the participants. A large number of outfitters and members of the hunting community were also present on the occasion. He appreciated the outfitters for bringing foreigners to the country, saying there had been a massive slump in tourism after the attack on the Nanga Parbat base camp in 2013.
Hunting permits for four markhors, 52 ibexes and eight blue sheep were auctioned. The price for ibex and blue sheep was fixed at $3,000 and $8,000, respectively, for international hunters.
Wildlife experts say that the rarer the species, the higher the fee. The markhor, which is nearing extinction outside Pakistan, is the rarest of all.
The firms which participated in the bidding and won permits included the Hunting Safari of Raja Mehboob Khan, Shikar Safari of Asif Khan, Sultan Golden and Muhammad Naeem, among others. Raja Mehboob made the winning bid, US$ 61,600, for Danyore-Guro area, while Asif Khan got two permits worth US$61,600 and US$61,500 for Bunji-DMT and Skwar-Jutial areas—all for markhors.
The trophy hunting quota is set after annual surveys by wildlife experts. G-B is often referred to as a ‘living museum’ as it is home to a variety of animals, including the Marco Polo sheep, ibex, markhor, urial, blue sheep, lynx, snow leopards, brown and black bears, wolves, foxes, marmotes, chakor, Ram chakor and rare species such as the Tibetan wild ass, also known as the kiang.
The trophy hunting programme was initiated during the 1980s in G-B. Every foreign hunter has to pay a fee to the Government of Pakistan in dollars, while Pakistanis pay in rupees.
Around 80% of the hunting fee goes to the local community, while the government spends the remaining 20% on projects aimed at forest conservation and biodiversity.
The communities use their share to conserve natural resources. The funds are allocated by committees trained by non-governmental organisations in accounts, planning and management.http://tribune.com.pk/story/794387/markhor-hunting-permits-auctioned-off-for-over-61500-each/
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