Mehtar bans duck hunting
CHITRAL, Oct 19: HH Muhammad Fatehul Mulk Ali Nasir, Mehtar of Chitral, has banned duck hunting in Balach riverbank and asked all hunters not to use the river bank for hunting migratory birds, says a press release.
In a message, he said that migratory birds (ducks etc) are being indiscriminately hunted all over the country especially in Chitral, and that he wants to see Balach river bank not as hunting site but as a safe place for the birds. Balach river bank is private property of the Mehtar and has been a favourite site for duck hunt previously. The present Mehtar has keen interest in conservation of wildlife and has banned hunting for this season at Balach river bank.]]>
I dont get it. The Mehtar himself loves hunting. He has his Facebook profile full of pictures of birds and fishes who have fallen prey to his hunting mastery! So that makes it clear that the announcement was not out of the sheer love of environment conservation. Find a better excuse to protect your property Fateh. Or put a bar around it!
Dear sir, I appreciate the love for innocent ducks as shown by Mehtar or king of Chitral or Kashghar. I am proud that once we had our own king and constitution. We had our traditional sports like polo, football, Buzkashi and a civilized official language – Persian. We had forest in abundance, we had peace and excellent law and order situation. We had romance and music in limits. We had highest rate of respect for each other and for outsiders we had no crimes or bloodshed. Now what? The government has deprived us of our basic right of being a province of Bolvar Kashgharistan or at least being a part of Gilgit-Baltistan as Chitral was a feudal state of great Kashmir.
I appeal to my young Mehtar or king to stand up and fight for the lost rights of Chitral. He will find our full support. It does not look nice just declaring a riverbank his private property while government has declared all riverbanks as state property. Regardless of ducks and riverbanks, the whole state was his property.
@Afzal Khan and Ahmad Khan: It is crystal-clear from the comments of both of you that you are suffering from severe mental anxiety! Read the content of the news! There’s nothing in the news that should make you worried. Instead of appreciating the step of banning duck-hunting, you two are criticizing it, and that clearly shows how frustrated! You two need some psychological therapy to overcome your problem, or else, I am worried you will commit suicide! LOL
And don’t give me advice on what to do and what not! This is the era of democracy and I and any other person can support anyone, and you are nobody to pass comments on that.
The message of Mehter-e-Chitral banning duck hunting inside Balach river bank is simple and clear. Like every Pakistani citizen, he has the right whether to allow or not any activity inside his private property. I think we should appreciate this nature-friendly decision and take further steps to preserve wildlife in other parts of Chitral too. This decision is binding within the geographical boundaries of the private property of Mehter-e-Chitral; it is not applicable on other river banks where one can enjoy brutal hunting of innocent migratory birds. It is very simple message, then why you people are making the discussion so controversial. It is a fact that Fatehul Mulk Nasir belongs to the past ruling elite. How they ruled over Chitral? It is a part of history. I think no one can go back and change the beginning, but anyone can start now and create a successful ending. So, don’t keep eyes on past and think about future.
@Junaid Saleh Hayat: Your emotions show your “frustration”. Frustration with a capital “F”. This is for sure that you’ve been working really hard towards your goal or on a project assigned to you by the royal family and it simply does not work due to hard-hitting comments by Mr. Ahmad.
You feel like you’re stuck in a dead-end job and can’t find other one. And you may not even really know why. All you know is that you seem to be stuck and no matter how hard you try, you don’t seem to get anywhere.
After going through the comments made by Mr. Ahmad, you’re just spinning your wheels in the mud and all you feel is pure frustration. This is the point where a lot of people will just say, “I quit” and give up but it is you who is unable to decide which way you have to go – Prince Mohiuddin or the people of Chitral.
The last option is quite difficult for you, so better prepare yourself to remain a humble disciple of Prince Mohiuddin and the newly-appointed Mehtar, as it suits you well. Your accusation against Mr. Ahmad of dividing people of Chitral is ridiculous. When someone supports you and toes your line, you admire the, like you did regarding the comments of Rehmat Wali Khan, but when someone comes up and criticizes you, you take cover under the excuse of ‘creating hatred and dividing the Chitralis’.
You should muster some courage to face the criticism. We are not living in the centuries-old Chitral, when your forefathers used to rule us single handedly. By the grace of almighty Allah, everybody in Chitral is educated today and we cannot ignore the bitter history which you still feel proud of.
Agree with Junaid Saleh Hayat
@Ahmad: I think Rehmat Wali Khan sahib’s comment is enough to answer all the rubbish you’ve uttered! I ask ChitralToday.net as to why do they include this person’s controversial comments? Due to his controversial comment, a useless debate got started on the ”open letter to MNA” and this time again, he is trying to spread hate among the people of Chitral. His mission is to divide us! So I request ChitralToday team to kindly publish comments after some moderation and proper check, and do not publish such comments that spread only hate!
@ Waseem. Anything wrong happened in the past does not justify anything wrong today.
Everyone is born free to like or dislike. No one has to justify what his father had done, so am I. My father was a poet, I am not. My father did like hunting, I don’t. This is all about life that every human is made with a different mindset, likes and dislikes. Someone may love Muhiuddin, I don’t. I just have political differences with him. Someone may hate Maulana Chitrali, but I don’t, I just have disagreement with his views on some issues. My favorite is the one who serves Chitral, no matter any prince or any maskeen, any a maulana or any peer…..just anyone. I am sorry, I am not here to comment on anything when someone asks me to do so, but it is a matter of interest. Better we comment with our real names so that others get to know who we are.
@Murad Akbar: Targeting the district coordination officer (DCO) Rehmatullah Wazir like this is not fair. If we look back, the history of Chitral is full of such people. Look a our minister for population welfare his holiness Salim Khan who is not even ready to give a little importance to Prince Mohiuddin, his political godfather, after taking over as a provincial minister and that too through sheer luck. How can we forget to mention another rising star in the political chessboard of Chitral, Ghulam Mohammad MPA. The gentleman is a renowned contractor and I am not sure he possesses even a matric certificate. The former general manager Aga Khan Education Service (AKES), Chitral, Zuhran Shah holds a degree in Persian but he ruled over AKESP for the so many years along with his cronies with full might. Look at the list of people who were inducted in AKRSP as storekeepers but now occupying important slots in Imamat institutions. Some years back, when Aga Khan Higher Secondary School started working in Chitral, it inducted a female as a principal. The lady was working with AKRSP and had no experience in the education sector. The time is rife that we must stand up to defeat this mafia otherwise Chitral has no future. This is high time that these black sheep must be taken to task.
Finally, my friend Murad Akabar Raza also disclosed his unconditional love for centuries-old Mehtari rule in Chitral. Wish he could have recalled the hunting passion of late Hakim Rehmat Akbar Khan. As long as your hatred for the DCO is concerned, it is just because of the ANP government in the KP. Had this been PPP or some other party, they would have done the same. I would rather ask you to utter few words against these ANP jiyalas who could be seen wandering in Chitral, changing the trademark colour of our beautiful traditional Chitrali pakohl. Besides, we also waited for your valuable comments during a heated debate on ‘an open letter to Prince Mohiuddin’, take care my dear Hakim!
If someone lives with an inferiority complex even in the 21st century, we all should wish him good luck. I think rest of us very well know where we as an individual and as a nation have to go. Someone should have also written something on the merging of our ideological identity into Pakhtunkhwa. And now coming to contest from Chitral…….it is disgusting to see that a 17-grade junior officer has been made as the head of the administration who has been acting like our king from the last four and a half years. I have always been a strong opponent of kingship, but due to the situation that has developed in our area, now I find myself left with no other option than supporting the Mehtar, and also his decision to ban duck hunting.
Mr Rehmat Wali Khan, Rawalpindi. I am sure the concern shown by Mr. Ahmad is only for the people of lower Chitral who love hunting. A man who has been living in Pindi throughout his life has no right to add salt to the injuries of people who will be affected as a result of the ‘shahi farman’ (royal decree) issued by our beloved prince.
His father was a great man and never gave the impression that he belonged to the royal family. He will always be remembered by all Chitralis for his love towards his area. He never imposed such a ban on duck hunting in Balch shotar.
I must advise people like Rehmat Wali not to misguide the new and young Mehtar and at the same time urge the prince to follow in the footsteps of his great father instead of listening to people who are always try to exploit an opportunity for their own vested interests.
Hunting is a great hobby and it is a craze and imposing a ban on it may create a problem for the prince besides affecting his popularity. And yes Adnan Lala disappointed us by his comments. At least I was not expecting this from him. He should have realized how cruel it would be to ban duck hunting. Anyway it is his personal opinion but I must urge him to sell out his US-made duck hunting rifle because he does not deserve to keep it anymore.
I really enjoy bird hunting and recommend it to my friends who are looking to get into hunting. We must be united against the elements who are hell-bent on discouraging bird or deer hunting in Chitral.
I would like to remind all those who are against bird or deer hunting that it will never stop because it is an addiction. Deer hunting is almost banned in Chitral but Prince Sikander used to keep small deer by making temporary living arrangements for them at his house located in Shahr-e-Shaam.
Thanks a lot Mr Ahmad for your interesting comments as expected. My response to the nature-friendly order of Mehtar Chitral may not be considered as a support to Mehtarship in Chitral again. It has been our bad luck since long that we do not take into consideration any beneficial comment, decision, suggestion, advice, slogan etc., from any political/religious/community leader, public figure, scholar, civil society. Before looking into the contents of the subject, we attach our own personal like/dislike or interest to it, making the stuff controversial from the beginning. The honourable Mehtar Prince Fatehul Mulk Ali Nasir has a legal right to allow or ban any kind of activity on his ancestral property like me and you. But if his decision/order is in the favor of nature by all means, why we raise an objection?
Besides, due to his high regards and respect among the duck hunting lovers in Chitral, he can also motivate them right from Oseak Drosh, Bumbagh, Kosht, Shagram Torkhow, Jinal Koch, Booni, Lotkoh area etc., to stop or minimze duck hunting. We have equal respect for all laws including global hunting as a hobby but killing of innocent migratory birds in Chitral is totally wrong. The subject matter may be taken on merit in view of the present day threat to the environment, nature and all efforts for its conseravation.
@Ahmad
Are you in your senses? Have you read the news? It says that the Mehtar has banned hunting in his private property which is the Balach river bank? Where did he say that hunting is banned all over Chitral?
Your comments like “In a sense, he has told them that defying his orders may result in confiscation of guns, killing of hunter dogs or opening fire on the hunter.” and “We, the Chitralis, are free people and any so-called orders from these so-called Mehtars will be retaliated with full might.”
Being an educated person, you should think before you write. The news clearly states that the ban is within the limits of the Mehtar’s private property, he is not ordering you, me or anyone of us. He has never said that he would open fire on people or do what rubbish you have mentioned.
At last I would like to say that had the Mehtar issued a statement in favor of hunting people with hatred filled-extremist mindset, you would have become champions of wildlife conservation and termed it brutal and vice versa, Your mindset can be easily judged by the false accusation you have made and the mess you are trying to create here. Please behave dear, Chitral is a place where majority of people are connected with each other, respect each other. Don’t try to spread hatred. Support good causes if initiated by anyone.
Everyone is living in a free world now, and has rights, same is the Mehtar. You have no right to impose your ideas on them.
Everyone has the right to manage his property according to his will and the Mehtar is simply doing that in Balach. “Revival of old state” ridiculous my dear.Please be tolerant and open your eyes, people with mindset like you end up as suicide bombers. Be positive and don’t criticize good causes. Thanks
It is a first step towards revival of the old state rule by the newly-crowned Mehtar, Prince Fatehul Mulk Ali Nasir, which needs to be resisted tooth and nail. The young prince has categorically conveyed to the enthusiastic hunters of lower Chitral to stay home or face his wrath.
In a sense, he has told them that defying his orders may result in confiscation of guns, killing of hunter dogs or opening fire on the hunter. My dear prince do not be so furious as hunting is a globally recognized hobby and you are living in the 21st century.
Now, some law prevails in the country. Might is right is law of the jungle, which was practiced by your forefathers and it will not work any longer. You being an educated person must know the consequences of what you are going to do.
The hunters, who love the game, get permits from the government to fulfil the obligations of law. They wait for the whole year for the hunting season and any such move cannot be stopped as the state knows better how to protect the wildlife.
You are nobody to act against the law. There is no bar on hunting whosoever land it is as the wildlife keeps on moving from place to place and not sitting on your land all the time.
The quick endorsement from my friend Adnan Zainul Abideen, all the way from Herat, Afghanistan, of the Mehtar’s decree is also surprising. He says, “Thank you Mehtar Chitral for this nature-friendly order”.
We, the Chitralis, are free people and any so-called orders from these so-called Mehtars will be retaliated with full might.
My advise to the young Mehtar is do not cross limits or you will be in hot waters in the ice-clod valley. Don’t follow in the footsteps of your forefathers who used to rule by hook or by crook. I would urge people like GJ and others to come forward against these so-called Mehtars as we are living in a free world now.
Great initiative. The Mehtar should devote himself to this cause and persuade people in other parts Chitral not to go after the migratory birds. I am sure that he will be successful in this noble cause.
This is a very good step by our Mehtar!! He practically proved how he cares about the preservation of wildlife in Chitral!
Long Live Mehtar-e-Chitral!!
Great and historic initiative by Honourable Mehtar of Chitral. All NGOs working for preservation of nature, environment and the wildlife department Chitral can utilize the high influence of forward-looking and well-educated Mehtar for banning such brutal hunting of migratory ducks at other famous river banks like Osiak Drosh, Bumbagh/Kosht, Jinalikoch, Gasotee Morder, Warijun, Shagram, Surwaht, ShahJinali, all such areas in Upper Yarkhoon, Laspur, Lotkoh areas where thousands (if not millions) of beautiful ducks are killed by hunters in every season.
Thank you Mehtar Chitral for this nature-friendly order.
Herat, Afghanistan