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DERA GHAZI KHAN, Nov 18: Another attack by ‘unidentified assailants’ on camps set up by the Houbara Foundation (HB) and advance teams of UAE dignitaries in Mauza Dalana has exposed the fragile security arrangements made by Punjab Constabulary and district police to protect them from growing hostility of local hunters allegedly patronized by some tribal influentials .
The HB and UAE teams are camped in DG Khan and Rajanpur districts to “ensure sustainable hunting” of houbara, an endangered migratory bird. Monday night’s firing was the third attack on their camps during the current month. After first two attacks, the provincial government had deployed Punjab Constabulary at the five camps but the move failed to deter the tribesmen.
Meanwhile, Sadar police have registered a case against Noor Muhammad Khosa and Faqeera Khosa who had allegedly attacked the camps on behalf of Khosa chief Aasif Nadeem Khosa under section 337-H2/ 285/506, on the report of police officer Jamil who was on duty at the time of the shooting.
According to police, before shooting Noor Muhammad and Faqeera Khosa had intercepted a hunters’ team and asked its members to leave the Khosa-dominated area.
Police and Punjab Constabulary have enhanced deployments around the camps after the last attack. Due to security fears, the in charge of the Houbara Foundation team is based at a petrol pump, far from the hunting area.
BUGTIS ASSAULT: In Rajanpur, at least 20 Bugti outlaws riding on two vans attacked a Border Military Police (BMP) post in Mauza Jabari two days ago. The post had been set up for the protection of foreign hunters.
Local resistance against foreign hunters is not new. Last year a jeep (of foreign hunters) was destroyed by in a landmine blast which left two people on board critically injured. In another attack in Rajanpur last year, two members of an advance team had lost their lives.
Khosa chief Aasif Nadeem Khan Khosa, whom the Dera police describe as a suspect, rejects allegations of masterminding the attacks. “We (the Baloch) never disgrace our guests,” he says.
UAE royal families started coming here in pursuit of houbaras three years ago with the assistance of Khosa & Leghari tribal chiefs. But this time, tribal chiefs were ignored by the authorities concerned who engaged Houbara Foundation, an NGO for “sustainable hunt of houbara,” constituted by retired military officers and funded reportedly by some UAE dignitaries. Cancellation of hunting licenses of local hunters caused resentment among the tribal chiefs and their subjects. Dost Mohammed Khosa, son of Khosa tribal chief and former governor Zulfiqar Ali Khan Khosa, had sent protest memorandum to higher authorities of the province against officials of the Houbara Foundation and advance teams which, he said, were disturbing the tribal life.
In an effort to ease the tension, the Houbara Foundation with the assistance of the Border Military Police distributed some daily-use items among the tribesmen but it did not work.
