Hindustan Times (Delhi)

Lift shahtoosh ban, says House panel

- Malavika Vyawahare letters@hindustant­imes.com

A parliament­ary panel has recommende­d lifting of a ban on the trade in shahtoosh shawls, woven from the fur of an endangered Tibetan antelope, to provide livelihood opportunit­ies to many in conflict-ridden Jammu and Kashmir.

The shahtoosh trade was banned globally in 1975 under the Convention on Internatio­nal Trade in Endangered Species to which India is a signatory.

The antelope is listed in Schedule I of the India’s Wildlife (Protection) Act, granting it the highest level of protection.

The Jammu and Kashmir government, which was initially reluctant to impose the ban on the ground that thousands of families were depended on the trade for their living, eventually extended the restrictio­n in 2000 after a drastic fall in the number of antelopes, locally called chiru.

Shahtoosh, which literally means “king of wools” in Persian, is woven from the underfur of a chiru and is considered one of the finest wools because it is light yet warm.

The weaving of Shahtoosh is a skill that is traditiona­lly unique to Kashmiris.

The parliament­ary committee headed by Congress MP Renuka Chowdhury suggested that the environmen­t ministry “should conserve and breed the chiru goats” on vast tracts of land and give the antelopes to weavers for collecting wool.

The rationale is that regulated farming of the animals will not only revive the industry but also the chiru population.

Traders in the valley welcomed the proposal, but it drew flak from environmen­talists and animal rights activists, who fear the move would promote the hunting of the endangered species, leading to its complete extinction.

“It will be good if the ban is reversed because a large section of people was dependent on the industry,” said Sajjad Gul, spokespers­on for the Kashmir Traders and Manufactur­ers Federation (KTMF).

CONTINUED ON P 6

THE TRADERS IN THE VALLEY WELCOMED THE PROPOSAL, BUT IT DREW FLAK FROM ANIMAL RIGHTS ACTIVISTS AND ENVIRONMEN­TALISTS

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