It is that time of the year when the houbara bustards and their hunters — the Arab princes who like to spend their winters chasing these migratory birds — descend on Pakistan.

Cleared by a court ruling at the start of 2016, licensed houbara hunting is seen as a lucrative option for Pakistan — one that helps our ruling elite win favours from nations with considerable wealth. But strangely enough, it is considered so crucial that the state here is not at all shy of calling it a foreign policy requirement: according to the government’s submissions, allowing the hunting of the houbara is an actual need.

Indeed, it is senseless that foreign policy should be tied to a significant wildlife concern in the country. No matter what largesse our regional allies might bestow on us in return for hunting permits, it is not likely to make up for the dwindling numbers of a species that is practically being driven to extinction by hunters who have no qualms about exceeding the bag limit.

In these circumstances, it is satisfying to note that at least one province — KP — has refused a Gulf prince permission to hunt the bird in its jurisdiction.

There is an indication of some consistency in dealing with the issue. Sometime ago, there had been reports that the PTI set-up in the province had dared to fine a royal for hunting without a licence.

There have been suggestions in concerned circles that the same kind of zero tolerance towards houbara hunting has to be extended to all parts of the country where the bird finds a home during the winter months.

Some experts have called for the sustainable hunting of the houbara, where bag limits are firmly adhered to and locals are involved in the conservation of the bird. Unfortunately, there has been little effort towards this aim.

The government must consider a total ban on houbara hunting unless the number of birds goes up to sustainable levels through careful conservation measures.

Published in Dawn, December 14th, 2016