PHC directs KP govt to frame rules for hunters

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Wednesday directed the provincial government to constitute biodiversity board and frame rules for licensed hunters under the law.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Yahya Afridi and Justice Syed Afsar Shah issued the direction in a contempt of court petition filed by Ghulam Mustafa, president Abaseen Hunting Association Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The court directed the provincial government to constitute the board and frame rules till July 5 for licenced hunters under the Wild Life Preservation and Bio Diversity Act, 2014. The petitioner’s lawyer, Sanaullah, submitted that the court had ordered the provincial government to constitute the board and frame rules in 2017 under the law, but the order was not complied with to date. Furthermore, he said the government is not providing facilities and cooperating with the licensed hunters of the province.