KARACHI: Two members of the Bahrain royal family have been hunting the internationally protected houbara bustard in Sindh for the past several weeks, it emerged on Saturday.

According to sources, another royal family member of Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, has arrived in the country, but has not yet ventured into the wild for houbara bustard hunting.

The sources said that the federal government in total disregard of its nature conservation related international commitments issued a large number of special permits to royal family members of Gulf states to hunt the houbara bustard and last year it issued at least 33 hunting permits for the hunting season.

Last year, for the first time, the Pakistani government informed foreign dignitaries when they were being handed out permits that “Pakistan will observe a moratorium on hunting during the 2014-15 season to replenish houbara bustard stocks,” but conservationists, even at that time, were sceptical about the government’s resolve.

Read: Arab royal hunts down 2,100 houbara bustards in three week safari

The sources said that the federal government, keeping in view its last year’s decision, had probably not issued the hunting permits, but houbara bustard poaching — hunting without permits — was continuing.

Responding to Dawn queries, Sindh wildlife department’s Hyderabad deputy conservator, Ghulam Mohammad Gadani, said that a hunting party led by Sheikh Abdullah bin Salman Al-Khalifa from Bahrain was carrying out hunting at Jati tehsil of Thatta district for the past few weeks.

The sources said that last year Jati tehsil in Thatta district was also allotted to adviser to the King of Bahrain on Defence Affairs Sheikh Abdullah bin Salman Al-Khalifa.

Replying to another question, the SWD official said that another hunting party led by Sheikh Mohammad bin Isa bin Salman was carrying out hunting in Janghri area of Jamshoro district.

Last year, according to the sources, Jamshoro district, including Thano Bula Khan, Kotri, Manjhand and Sehwan tehsils, were allotted to King of Bahrain Sheikh Hamad bin Isa bin Salman Al-Khalifa.

Also read| Houbara Bustard: Seasonal killers

Mr Gadani said that Sheikh Rashid of Dubai had also arrived in the country a couple of days ago, but was still in his palace in Karachi and was expected go hunting in the next few days.

The sources said that last year Badin and Thatta districts (Jungshahi) and Malir district (Dhabiji) were allotted to Sheikh Rashid bin Khalifa Al-Maktoum — a member of the royal family of Dubai.

He said that if special hunting permits had been issued to these hunters by the federal government, he had not seen them. He added that when he had asked his superiors regarding this, he was informed that the permits had arrived at the Sindh wildlife secretary’s office and would reach his office in due course.

He further said that he was informed that the areas had been allotted to the same dignitaries which were traditionally allotted to them.

The houbara bustard is a resident of the region around the Aral Sea and the Kyzylkum desert in central Asia and it leaves its colder habitat to spend winters in a relatively warm environment in the arid zones of Sindh, Balochistan and Punjab.

However during its stay here it is hunted in thousands by foreigners, who are given special permits to carry out the hunting of the internationally protected bird, which is also protected under national as well as provincial nature conservation and wildlife protection laws.

According to a Balochistan wildlife department report, Saudi Arabian Prince Fahd bin Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud, who is also the governor of Tabuk province of Saudi Arabia, had hunted 2,100 houbara bustards during his three-week safari in January 2014 in Chagai district in Balochistan.

The Balochistan wildlife department officer, Jaffer Baloch, who had reported the houbara hunting, which after being highlighted in the media generated an international uproar, has since been transferred a few times.

Published in Dawn, November 9th, 2014