Stakeholders have raised an alarm over the posting of an unqualified person as second-in-command in the Hunting Control Special Squad.
Abu Bakar, Assistant at the office of the Deputy Chief Wildlife Ranger, Gujranwala Region, has been posted as Second-in-Command in the North Zone’s Hunting Control Special Squad. North Zone covers two divisions-Rawalpindi and Gujranwala.
Stakeholders believe that it is a major deviation from the routine practice, as only a member of the field staff could be given such an assignment. Moreover, Abubakar himself is a hunter and, as such, could not stop illegal practice due to a clash of interests.
“Abu Bakar is not from the field staff. As such, the posting is a clear violation of institutional norms. He himself has been a hunter or has been found involved in hunting-related activities. Inclusion of such a person in the squad formed for the prevention and control of hunting is a clear conflict of interest. Moreover, posting of an assistant on high position is a violation of departmental service rules, duty structure and chain of command,” said Mohammad Rashid, an activist who is a resident of Jhelum.
He believed that this uncalled-for move would severely damage the morale of the field staff, who have been risking their lives in the field for years. He suggested posting a senior officer from the field staff to the key post of the hunting squad’s second-in-command.
“This situation needs immediate intervention of the Wild Department’s high-ups. If such decisions are ignored, the prestige, reputation and legal status of the Wildlife Department will be badly affected, and the Hunting Control Squads will become a mere paperwork or a means of protecting certain individuals,” he stated.
