Houbara bustard: K-P govt refuses hunting permits to royalty

Petitioner asks top court to cancel all illegal licencesfor hunting of the rare bird

ISLAMABAD: The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) government has refused to grant permission to foreign dignitaries for hunting Houbara bustard – a species at risk of extinction.

Appearing before the Supreme Court on Wednesday, Additional Advocate General (AAG) K-P Mujahid Ali Khan presented the provincial government’s stance on the issuance of hunting permits to visiting dignitaries – primarily from the gulf countries.

The two-judge bench of the top court, headed by Justice Jawwad S Khawaja was hearing the case against the illegal hunting permits issued to royal visitors from Gulf countries for hunting the Houbara bustard which is supposedly protected by law.

Aamir Zahoorul Haq, the petitioner, requested the bench to cancel all the licences for hunting of Houbara bustard, saying the foreign office should be restrained from issuing such permits to foreigners.

He claimed that despite a ban on the hunting of the rare bird in Pakistan, the government has issued permits in violation of law.

The petitioner also requested the top court to order stern legal action against the officials who issued the licences.

The K-P AAG has submitted a letter of the Forest, Environment and Wildlife department before the bench, wherein it told the foreign ministry that falconry is banned in the province under Martial Law Order, 292 which is constitutionally protected and hence hunting through hawks and falcons is banned in the province.

The K-P government further stated that Pakistan is signatory to the Convention of International Trade of Endangers Species of Flora and Fauna (CITES) which means Houbara bustards cannot be offered for hunting by the countries unless export quota for certain number of the birds belonging to the species is granted by the CITES secretariat.

During the hearing, the bench also appreciated K-P government’s stance on prohibiting dignitaries from hunting the endangered species in the province.

Meanwhile, the bench has sought comprehensive reports from all provincial governments regarding the illegal issuance of permits to the foreign visitors.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 30^th, 2015.