Conservation: LHC extends ban on houbara bustards

LAHORE:

The Lahore High Court on Monday extended the ban on hunting of houbara bustards and directed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to submit its reply on the legal status of hunting permits given to dignitaries from Gulf states.

Earlier a deputy attorney general told the court that such permits could not be issued without permission of the ministry. He said the Punjab government had allowed foreign dignitaries to hunt protected birds on its own. Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah remarked that Arab countries were famous for breeding such birds but came to Pakistan to hunt them.

“The court wants to know under what law these hunting permits were given to foreigners,” he said.

Justice Shah adjourned hearing till March 3 and directed the ministry to submit its reply.

The judge was hearing petitions against hunting of protected birds.

Petitioners had submitted that 33 hunting permits had been issued by the government to dignitaries from five countries.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 11^th, 2014.