My beautiful Pakistan, the land of Balochistan

Balochistan is the largest province of Pakistan with an area of 347056 sq Km covering over 40% of the country’s land mass. The country traces its history from times immemorial. Before the birth of Christ, it had commerce and trade with ancient civilization of Babylon through Iran and into the valleys of Tigris and Euphrates. Alexander the Great also had an encounter with the Serbia tribe of Balochistan. 

Here in this ancient yet immensely beautiful land lies Hingol which has been identified as an area of global significance for its diverse ecosystems, endangered wildlife and importance as a winter habitat for migratory birds.

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HINGOL NATIONAL PARK & ITS WILDLIFE 

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WoP research desk

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Balochistan is the largest province of Pakistan with an area of 347056 sq Km covering over 40% of the country’s land mass. The country traces its history from times immemorial. Before the birth of Christ, it had commerce and trade with ancient civilization of Babylon through Iran and into the valleys of Tigris and Euphrates. Alexander the Great also had an encounter with the Serbia tribe of Balochistan.

Muhammad Bin Qasim and Mehmood Ghaznavi also invaded Balochistan resulting in the development of Muslim character. Even today most tribal people of the province resemble Arabs and the inhabitants can be quite a fascinating subject of study by anthropologists.

Balochistan is a land of contrasts. It has places with rugged mountains like Chiltan, Takatu, Sulaiman, Sultan etc. and plains stretching hundreds of miles. It has fertile land such as in Nasirabad and the tracks which are thirsty for centuries in the Pat section of Sibi district and the Makran desert zone. It has the hottest place in the country like Sibi and has towns with relatively cooler climate such as Quetta, Ziarat, Kan Mehtarzai and Kallat where temperature in winter goes much below freezing point and the areas remain under a thick cover of snow.

These contrasts in Balochistan’s topography are beautifully depicted in a Balochi war song:

“The mountains are the Balochi’s forts;

The peaks are better than any army;

The lofty heights are our comrades;

The pathless gorges our friends.

Our drink is from the flowing springs; our bed the thorny bush; the ground we make our pillow.”

Here in this very land of contrast lies the gem of Balochistan, the Hingol National Park.

About 100km southwest of Bela (although best accessed from Sindh via the Makran Coastal Highway) is the 619, 043-hectare Hingol National Park. The park is on the Hingol River along the Sindh–Balochistan border and is home to marsh crocodiles, Olive Ridley turtles, leopards, Persian wild goats, hyenas, spot-billed pelicans and the Houbara bustard.

Hingol has been identified as an area of global significance for its diverse ecosystems, endangered wildlife and importance as a winter habitat for migratory birds.

The park is beautiful but very remote, and can be reached best by 4WD via the town of Aghor. [It is strongly recommended that before you chalk out your plan for a visit to the Park, check with the PTDC in Quetta before travelling].

 Included also in park is the Hindu pilgrimage site of Hinglaj, the site of a carnival (fair) held in March /April every year. The shrine, is dedicated to the ‘goddess’ known as Nani to the Muslims and Parvati, Kali or Mata to the Hindus. The Chandragup mud volcano, also sacred to the Hindus, lies across the coastal highway towards the beach. The shrine is the holiest among the 51 Shakti Peeths of Hinduism. It is a 15km trek from the main road. There is also a dirt track that leads to the site. Several thousand pilgrims visit the shrine each year.

The Park is spread over an area of about 1,650 square km² along the Makran Coast of Balochistan, is the largest of the National Parks of Pakistan. Located approximately 190 kilometres from Karachi, the area was for the first time declared a reserved park area in 1988. It covers parts of the three districts of Lasbela, Gawader and Awaran of Balochistan province containing a variety of topographical features and vegetation, varying from arid sub tropical forest in the north to arid Mountain in the west. Large tracts of the Park are covered with drift sand and can be classified as coastal semi desert. The National Park includes the estuary of the Hingol river which supports a significant diversity of bird and fish species.

The Hungol valley has fantastic scenery of towering cliffs, pinnacles and buttresses, with the river winding in between. Some 350 miles in length, the Hungol is Balochistan’s longest river. Unlike most other streams in Balochistan which only flow during rare rains, the Hungol always has water flowing the year round. The water is crystal–clear, reflecting the incredible blue of the sky, presenting beautiful picture–postcard scenery. Both the valley and the Hungol river are located in Hungol National Park.

Hingol is known to support threatened invertebrates in addition to a variety of bird species. The River Hingol has been nurturing crocodiles for centuries. The Marsh Crocodile, Olive Ridley and Green Marine Turtles, endemic and threatened species of fish, such as the Mahasheer occur and schools of Plumbeous Dolphins (Sousa plumbea) are known from close in-shore areas.

The park is also an excellent habitat to wild animals including over 3000 ibexes, and 1500 Urials and more than 1200 Chinkara, besides number of resident and migratory birds. The Houbara Bustard (Chlamydotis undulata), Dalmatian and Spot-billed Pelican (Pelecanus philippensis) are regular visitors to the area.

Blandford’s Urial

Mammals in the park include Sindh Leopard, Indian Fox, Jungle Cat, Jackals, Sind Wild Goat, Blandford’s Urial, Chinkara Gazelle, Honey Badger, Indian Pangolin, Hedgehog, Porcupine, Indian Grey Mongoose, Cairo Spiny mouse and the Rock Mouse. As for the birds, Houbara Bustard, Dalmatian and Spot-billed Pelican, Lagger Falcon, Red-headed merlin, Kestrel, Grey Partridge, See See Partridge, , Eagle owl , Sind pied woodpecker, Hume’s chat, Brown rock pipit, Striped Buning, Finche Larks, Hoopoe, Shrikes and Wheatears. Beside Bonnelli’s, Imperial Tawny and Golden Eagle are also found here. There are three varieties of vultures, namely Eurasian Griffon Vulture, Egyptian Vulture and the Cinereous Vulture. As for sand grouse, there are many varieties like Stone Curlew, Indian, Coroneted, Painted and Close-Barred Sand Grouse.

Left: The Golden Eagle

The wet and muddy patches are home to Marsh Crocodile, Olive Ridley and Green Marine Turtles, Desert Monitor lizard, Yellow Monitor lizard, and different species of lizard and chameleon.

Right: Cinereous Vulture

With such a priceless treasure trove of wildlife, there is a need that the status of the Park as such be maintained, as some years ago when there was a rush by the Seths of Karachi and Punjab to buy land in Gwadar, the prices shot up in the surrounding areas as well. So certain land grabbers set eyes on the land which forms an integral part of the park and its wildlife. Even our defense establishment did not lag behind to purchase certain parts of the park to carve up into air and naval bases there.

Marsh Crocodiles

With the ongoing insurgency in the province, the trend has to certain extent been halted, yet the need still does exist to maintain the status of the park because there is every chance that once the normalcy is restored in the area, the land grabbers will jump once again and deprive the nation of a unique storehouse of an unmatchable species of birds, animals and reptiles found nowhere else in the world.

Desert Monitor Lizard

 Green Marine Turtle

Note: This report is based on information collected from different sources on the net.

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Related Posts:

1. Muhammad (S.A.W.W), A Pioneer of Environment 2. Birds of Lahore – Sustainers of City’s Biodiversity

Images: Title Image (1) and (2), (3) , (4) to (9)

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