Royal sport: Bird hunting keeps Arabs happy, but leaves India anxious
Islamabad issues permits to royal families from Gulf countries; New Delhi lodges protest over firing along border.
Islamabad issues permits to royal families from Gulf countries; New Delhi lodges protest over firing along the border . DESIGN: AMNA IQBAL
In an annual migratory trend, thousands of houbara bustards from cold climates come to the desert areas in Pakistan every winter.
This is no ordinary migration, though; the presence of this rare and internationally-protected species has major diplomatic implications for the country.
The birds, prized for their meat with purportedly aphrodisiac qualities, are hunted mostly by Arab dignitaries but the hunting, mostly along the Indian border, has sparked tensions with India.
With govt’s nod
“The Arabs hunt birds in the country with the permission of the government of Pakistan,” said foreign ministry spokesperson Moazzam Ali Khan, when contacted by The Express Tribune.
He maintained, however, that the government issued permits to certain dignitaries not for monetary benefits, but as a gesture of ‘goodwill’. Khan offered no comment, meanwhile, on various local and international laws that prohibit the hunting of endangered migratory birds, such as the houbara bustard.
Another foreign ministry official, however, told The Express Tribune that the government of Pakistan did not want to ‘annoy’ Arab dignitaries by denying them permission to hunt the birds.
“They (Arab dignitaries) can hurt us economically if we deny them permission,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. On the other hand, he insisted that the Arabs had sponsored a lot of development projects in areas where they camped for hunting.
Permits for 2012-13
For the year 2012-13, the Pakistani government has issued 12 permits for around 815 trained hunting falcons. It includes two permits for 135 falcons for the royal family of Saudi Arabia, five permits for 200 falcons for Bahrain’s royal family, two permits for 250 falcons for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and three permits for 230 falcons for the royal families of Qatar.
Each permit allows a maximum of 100 birds to be hunted.
Sources added that at present, Bahrain’s Sheikh Abdula Bin Salem al Khalifa is camping with trained falcons in Bahawalpur. Similarly, in the Shakhar and Sangad areas, UAE’s Sheikh Sultan Bin Khalifa Bin Jaiyad al Nelyan and Sheikh Sultan Bin Jaiyad al Neyan are camping to hunt the Houbara bustards.
Friction with India
The hunting of houbara bustards along the border regions has caused friction with neighbouring India.
Since any firing near the international border is a violation of norms, India’s Border Security Force (BSF) has lodged protests with the Pakistani Rangers, reported the Times of India.
On Monday, a meeting was held with Rangers in Attari, Indian Punjab, on the issue.
Earlier last week, gunshots were heard near the international border opposite Nachna in Jaisalmer in India. A few days ago, there was firing in the area adjoining Shahgarh Bulj. After these incidents, the BSF sent a protest note to Pakistani Rangers.
The BSF had also raised the issue on November 7, at the India-Pakistan deputy inspector-general level border meeting, held at Munabao, a village in Rajasthan. The deputy director of the Pakistan Rangers had assured then that such incidents would not be repeated. But the firing has not stopped, the newspaper reported.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 2nd, 2013.