Bahraini.TV

KARACHI: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has given permission to 27 dignitaries of the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia to set up hunting camps in 63 districts of all four provinces and hunt the protected and endangered bird, the houbara bustard.

Last month, 10 licences were issued to Arab princes and sheikhs allowing them to bring 470 falcons into the country to hunt the endangered bird.

Houbara bustard is a migratory bird and faces extinction threat. It flies to Pakistan in winter from former Soviet territories.

Even though the bird is protected under various international and national nature conservation organisations and has been declared as endangered under the IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals, the Pakistani government has granted permission to the Arab dignitaries. Even the national or international conservation organisations have not protested over the issue so far.

“Personally I think houbara bustard is not endangered and it does not come under the IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals,” an IUCN Pakistan official told this scribe on condition of anonymity, leaving this scribe surprised over the official’s lack of knowledge.

Dr Ghulam Akbar of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Pakistan said his organisation is unable to do anything about the problem, as the government was issuing such permits.

“It is an open secret and whenever we talk about it with government officials, they tell us that they have family terms with these Arab dignitaries. They also tell us that a large number of Pakistani workers are employed in Arab countries and Arab princes and sheikhs are also involved in the rehabilitation of wildlife sites in Pakistan, therefore nothing can be done.”

Akbar said the WWF Pakistan also went to court on several occasions, but nothing has been done in this regard. This scribe acquired a copy of the official notification (No.DCP (&I)-18/6/2009) from foreign ministry sources that are signed by Ministry of Foreign Affairs Deputy Chief Protocol Muhammad Tariq Wazir on December 14, 2009.

In the notification, the foreign ministry directed the environment, wildlife and parks officials to allow houbara bustard hunting to the following dignitaries:

Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates and the Ruler of Abu Dhabi has been allocated districts Rahim Yar Khan, Rajanpur and DG Khan in Punjab, districts Sukkur, Ghotki, Nawabshah and Sanghar in Sindh, and districts Zhob, Ormara, Gwadar, Jhal Magsi (less subdivision Gandava), Pasni, Kharan (excluding Nag Dera breeding area) and Panjgur Washuk in Balochistan to hunt the houbara bustard.

Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, Vice President of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai has been allocated districts Khuzdar and Lasbela in Balochistan and district Muzaffargarh in Punjab.

Sheikh Sultan Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister of UAE has been allocated district Khairpur Mirs (not across Nara Canal) in Sindh.

Gen Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al- Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai has been allocated districts Bhakkar and Layyah in Punjab.

Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud, Crown Prince, First Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defence and Aviation and Inspector General of Saudi Arabia, has been allocated districts Chaghai and Noshki (less Noshki city) in Balochistan.

HH Prince Naif Bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud, Minister of Interior, (Brother of Khadim Harmain Al-Sharifain) has been allocated Dera Bugti, Dera Murad Jamali, Nasirabad and Jaffarabad districts in Balochistan as well as Duki in district Loralai, and districts Khushab, Jhang, Mianwali and Sargodha in Punjab.

Punjab’s district Bahawalnagar (excluding tehsil Fort Abbas) has been allocated to Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani, the Emir of the State of Qatar.

Jacobabad, Sindh has been allocated to Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, Heir Apparent of the State of Qatar. Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, Ex Heir Apparent of the State of Qatar, has been allocated Balochistan’s Barkhan district.

Shiekh Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jabber Al-Thani, Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of the State of Qatar, has been allocated sub-division Muslim Bagh of district Qila Saifullah in Balochistan.

Sheikh Mohammad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani, Brother of the Emir of the State of Qatar has been allocated district Loralai (less Duki area) of Balochistan.

Staff Major General Hamad Ali Al-Attiya, Chief of Staff of Qatar Armed Forces has been allocated tehsil Mand and Tump of district Turbat in Balochistan.

Sheikh Ali Bin Abdullah Thani Al-Thani, Member of the Supreme Council of the Royal Family of the State of Qatar, has been allocated tehsils Buleda and Dashto of district Turbat in Balochistan.