Salman Rashid

Travel writer, Fellow of Royal Geographical Society

A secret revealed
19 May 2016

If the Soon Valley of Punjab had been in, say, India or Nepal, it would have been overrun by tourists. But in Pakistan, it is like that beautiful but poor woman and the full moon of a winter’s night that Manto said no one appreciates. The valley goes unsung. It remains Punjab’s best kept secret.

When I first ventured into this beautiful, picture perfect place, there were only a couple of roads through the valley. The one leading in from Kallar Kahar split to go either through Sodhi Jaiwali or by way of Jaba; both being incredibly picturesque. The former meandered through a largely uninhabited and forested valley with trees shading the road. The latter from Jaba passed by the lovely sheet of Khabeki Lake.

Labels: Punjab, Soon Valley

posted by Salman Rashid @ 00:00, ,

Open season in Punjab
28 January 2016

Two species of partridge, grey (Francolinus pondicerianus) and see-see (Ammoperdix griseogularis), are residents of the hill ranges of northern Punjab where their call was once a familiar sound. Poor enforcement of the law took its toll on the numbers of these popular game birds and as recently as 2005 conservationists could only rarely come across them in the wild. The alarming reduction in their numbers was attributable to licensed as well as illegal hunters who exterminated these birds in connivance with corrupt officials of the wildlife department. Recognising the threat to the partridges the Punjab government instituted a ban on their hunting in 2008. The result, as noted by ordinary people who share the same range with the partridges, was a marked increase in their numbers.

Indeed, in April 2013, this writer saw frequent groups of grey partridges feeding fearlessly by the side of the less frequented roads of the Soon Valley.

Labels: Birds, Punjab, Soon Valley