Bid to smuggle precious birds foiled

LAKKI MARWAT: A team of Wildlife Department foiled a bid to smuggle precious birds to Afghanistan and seized houbara bustards and grey partridges on Bannu-Dera Ismail Khan road on Saturday.
DFO Wildlife Department, Bannu, Khan Malook Khan said that following a tip-off, he formed a special team and tasked it to foil the birds smuggling attempt at all costs.
“During nakabandi at Wanda Banochi and Ghoriwala checkpoints on Bannu-Dera Ismail Khan road, the team recovered two houbara bustards from Jamal Umar, resident of Khost (Afghanistan) and 24 grey partridges from Rafiullah, resident of Mandan (Bannu),” he maintained. The official claimed that the birds were being smuggled to Afghanistan from Baluchistan.