IHC bans import and export of falcons

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday banned the import and export of falcons, while seeking a list of rare breed animals.

IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah heard the petition against the export of rare breed animals.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs gives temporary permission for import and then they are also exported, the lawyer told the court. By importing old falcons, they export our young falcons, the lawyer, he added.

The CJ pointed out that apparently, there was a law against the import and export of animals.

When imports are allowed, they bring in animals and breed them, the records of which are with the provinces, said a representative of the Ministry of Climate Change.

A falcon was gifted with the approval of the country's chief executive when the United Arab Emirates’s (UAE) request came, the Deputy Attorney General Syed Muhammad Tayyab Shah said.

Giving this gift does not fall into the category of trade, he contended.

How can the chief executive do something illegal, the chief justice asked.

He also sought a list of rare breeds of animals.

There is also illegal animal trafficking, a representative of the Ministry of Climate Change said.

“Can giraffes be smuggled?” Chief Justice Minallah asked. “How many animals or giraffes died in Peshawar Zoo?”

The high court then adjourned the case till Monday, May 23.