Lahore HC lifts ban on houbara hunting

The Lahore High Court has withdrawn the ban on hunting of an endangered migratory bird houbara bustard.

LHC Chief Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah has also directed the registrar office to fix the petitions against the hunting permits issued to foreign dignitaries before an appropriate bench afresh.

Advocates Sheraz Zaka and Naseem Sadiq had filed the petitions seeking a ban on the hunting of the bird and cancellation of permits issued to foreign dignitaries, the local media reported.

On Jan 25, the Chief Justice through a verbal order had imposed a ban on the basis of a report submitted by a local commission had stopped the hunting of houbara bustard invoking the precautionary principle.

"However, at the time dictating the order, I have gone through the report of the Commission in detail and requires further clarification on this principle," the Dawn reports, citing the chief justice as observing in his written order.

The order read further that, "Therefore, the verbal order announced in the Court is recalled and this case is fixed for hearing before an appropriate bench as the case management plan for Feb 8, 2018."

The Internationally migrated Houbara bustards migrate in thousands from Central Asia to Pakistan every winter.