Ishfaqullah Shawl
Houbara Bustard, again came for rescue of Pakistani Royals, who are looking towards the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Qatar with high hope.Though the diplomatic relations of Pakistani Government led by Establishment under the guise of Imran Khan, are not good with Kingdom, UAE and Qatar, by some unknown reasons and Arabs have demanded the return of money they had given as support to incumbent Government. Pakistani Royals are in contact with Arab Royals and using all out efforts to stop the demand of money return and are ready to use all out effort for the purpose. Houbara Bustard is not a big deal as this innocent bird will nor come to streets against the decision made by Pakistan Royals, neither like parents of martyrs of Army Public School, they raise issue of their kids at all forums.Just to please Arabs gave the hunting permission to Saudi Royals including Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Suleman and his aides. Federal government of some hand-picked people of establishment, issued special permits to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Suleman and two other Royals to hunt Houbara Bustards during the hunting season 2020-21. Two other Royals are governors and one of them is a defaulter as he has not paid the hunting fees/dues for last year (hunting season 2019-20).The Arab Royals had been allocated by Pakistani Royals, some certain hunting areas in two provinces Balochistan and Punjab. The ‘Foreign Office’ of Pakistan was expected to maintain the protocol and official hierarchy, the name of the most powerful person and ‘real’ ruler of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman has been mentioned at the bottom of the list of hunters sent to the Saudi Embassy in Islamabad. Houbara Bustard is a shy, rare bird breed that resembles a turkey in shape with size of a chicken, hunting them was officially banned in Pakistan, but not know why the official ban cannot bar the Arab Royals from their Houbara Bustard hunting trips. Arab princes and their wealthy friends like to hunt Houbara Bustard both as a sport and because the meat is considered an aphrodisiac. Arabs are eager to go for hunt of Houbara Bustard for the purpose to attain Houbara Bustard meat to enjoy their sex life as they have many wives and keeps to satisfy. They are using millions for the purpose and Pakistani Royals are ultimate beneficiaries of all the situation and at the cost of innocent bird. It is not hidden from anyone in Pakistan that for decades, Pakistani Royals were extending invitations to Arab Royals for hunting of the Houbara Bustard through falconry, in view of what the Pakistani Royals, ‘Pakistan’s strong fraternal and diplomatic relations with Arab countries’. Now these relations are under shadows so that Pakistani Royals are moving from pillar to post to obtain the attention of Arab Royals to the affairs as after illegitimate ouster of Nawaz Sharif, by using judiciary. People are well aware of the statements during Nawaz Sharif era released by mouthpeice of Pakistani Royals claiming the country’s economy is in bad shape when it was 5,8 per cent GDP Growth and now when the economy fell on minus with -0.14 they are not even feeling ashamed and are using all means to please Arab Royals.Irony of fate is that Government in 2015 revealed that no hunting permits were issued after 19 August 2015, when the supreme court issued a ban, but before that during 2014-15 it had issued 29 licenses to Arab Royals Each permit allows the dignitary to hunt in a designated area for up to 10 days,killing a total of 100 Bustards.The uproar which led to the ban was caused by reports that a Saudi prince had killed around 2,100 birds on his last three-week hunting trip – 2,000 more than allowed under his permit. Government in 2015 imposed a temporary moratorium on Houbara Bustard hunting on the instructions of Supreme Court of Pakistan. But all of a sudden in January 2016 Apex Court lifted the ban on hunting of Houbara Bustard, not kown why? and on who’s behest the ban was lifted. But later came on light the ban was lifted after ‘Ministry of Foreign Affairs’, issued permits to Royals as ‘government’ argued that Houbara hunting was a ‘pillar’ of Pakistan’s relations with Arab rulers.It is also a question mark that how did a shy but beautiful wild bird become a foreign policy issue in Pakistan and Supreme Court lifted ban.The International Union of the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) estimates the global population of Houbara Bustards at between 50,000 and 100,000 and includes it on its red list of threatened species.
(-Writer is a working journalist and regular columnist and can be reached on ishfaq@journalist.com)
