GILGIT: In an apparent drop scene of an alleged snow leopard cub smuggling case, the Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Court has quashed the case against the accused, a retired army major.
A wildlife magistrate court in Gilgit had earlier imposed a fine of Rs30,000 on Major (retd) Fahad Haneef, a retired officer of the Gilgit-Baltistan Scouts, in connection with the case. However, Major (R) Fahad Haneef challenged the verdict in the Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Court, which granted him relief.
In September last year, the Gilgit-Baltistan Forests, Parks, Wildlife, and Environment Department recovered a snow leopard cub, allegedly sold on the black market after being captured from its natural habitat in Nazbar Nullah, Yasin Valley, Ghizer district.
At the time, multiple sources within the Wildlife Department, speaking on condition of anonymity, told HUM News English that the cub had been captured by two residents of Nazbar village in August. The sources claimed that the cub was allegedly sold to a retired army officer in Yasin, who then reportedly gifted it to his son-in-law, a serving major in the G-B Scouts residing in Gilgit, who later retired.
The cub was eventually recovered from the officer’s house. The Wildlife Department had also arrested the two suspects who had allegedly captured the cub from the wild.
The chain of events came to light after a video surfaced on social media, showing a young man from Yasin Valley playing with the cub near a car. The video quickly gained attention, prompting swift action by the Gilgit-Baltistan Parks and Wildlife Department. The cub was later relocated to Naltar Valley.
While speaking to HUM News English, Forest and Wildlife Secretary Syed Abdul Waheed Shah claimed that this was not a case of smuggling.
“It was not a smuggling case. The suspect maintained that he had rescued the cub after finding it injured in the Kalapani area of Deosai, Astore, and he intended to release it into the wild after recovery,” Shah stated.
Shah added that the G-B Wildlife Management Board had decided that no wild animal should be domesticated. If found injured, the animal should be treated and then released into the wild.
In this case, he said, the Wildlife Board decided that the accused should cover the expenses incurred on the cub’s nourishment. As per this decision, Shah said, the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Court sentenced Major (R) Fahad Haneef to pay a fine of Rs 3,00,000. However, he challenged the verdict, and the Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Court “granted him relief”.
When questioned about the arrest of two suspects for capturing the cub from the wild and later selling it on the black market, the secretary said, “It was not a case of smuggling.”
DFO Muhammad Essa confirmed that the court quashed the case and declined to provide further details.
Snow leopards are classified as “endangered” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. Gilgit-Baltistan, home to several of these majestic creatures, is a critical zone for conservation efforts.
However, illegal wildlife trafficking continues to undermine these efforts, pushing the species closer to extinction. Conservationists emphasize the urgent need for stricter enforcement of wildlife protection laws to safeguard Pakistan’s endangered species.