A court in Rahim Yar Khan has given up Punjab’s first conviction for illegal Chinkara deer hunting, sentencing four men to one year in prison with fines totaling RS4 million, with an additional six months in prison in the event of a non -payment.
The case was registered in 2023 by Rahim Yar Khan Wildlife Rangers after an incident with poaching in the Cholistan Desert. Litigation was held at Khanpur Civil Court, where Assistant Chief of Wildlife Ranger Mujahid Kaleem Khan pursued the case.
The convicted individuals, Saleem Sargodhi, Sadiq Mangria, Pannu Mangria and Rafiq Parhiyar were taken into custody immediately after the verdict.
Assistant Chief Wildlife Ranger Mujahid Kaleem Khan welcomed the order and called it a significant deterrent to future poacher in Cholistan Public Wildlife Reserve.
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“This decision sends a clear message to hunters that such crimes will no longer be tolerated,” he said.
The verdict follows changes to the Punjab Wildlife Act in 2021, which increased penalties for wildlife crimes. According to the revised law, illegal hunting for Blackbuck, Chinkara, Hog Deer or Urial carries one to three years in prison and fines ranging from RS200,000 to RS1 million per year. Animal.
Deputy Chief Wildlife Ranger Bahawalpur region, Syed Ali Usman Bukhari, confirmed the department’s obligation to protect and preserve wildlife in Cholistan, Pakistan’s second largest desert.
Despite being home to Blackbuck, Chinkara, Nilgai, Urial and several bird species, decades of poaching have led to sharp falls in their populations.
