Minister calls for return of Pakistan’s 780 turtles which were smuggled to Hong Kong
Federal Minister for Climate Change Mushahid Ullah Khan has directed the Sindh Wildlife Department secretary to take effective measures for recovery of Pakistan’s smuggled 780 turtles, which have been captured in Hong Kong.
Mushahid Ullah Khan said that the value of the 780 turtles in monetary terms has been estimated at around Rs 180 million, said a press statement issued on Saturday.
The minister has expressed his serious concern over steep rise in incidents of smuggling of endangered turtle species of Pakistan worth billions of rupees and urged the provincial wildlife departments to play their due role in containing the incidents of turtle smuggling.
Senator Khan has also asked the officials of Wildlife Department of his ministry and those of the provincial governments to earmark funds in their respective annual departmental budgets for controlling smuggling of endangered or otherwise wildlife and medicinal plant species and recovery of the smuggled Pakistani wildlife species or medicinal plants captured in any foreign country.
This will help smooth returning of the country’s smuggled wildlife species from abroad, he argued. He also called for severe action against custom and animal quarantine department’s official involved in such smuggling cases and said that officials of these departments should appreciated at federal and provincial levels, who refuse to get bribery or foil smuggling of the wildlife species at any level.
Such officials should also be given appreciation certificates in recognition of their honesty, he said, adding that this will motivate the officials to carry on their positive role.
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