Qatar’s royal family in Cholistan to hunt migratory birds

E-Paper | May 02, 2026

LAHORE: Members of Qatar’s royal family arrived in the Cholistan desert in Bahawalnagar district on Monday to camp and hunt migratory birds.

Qatar’s former deputy prime minister Muhammad bin Khalifa Al Thani was among the royal guests. Their flight had to be diverted from Bahawalpur to Multan because of foggy conditions so they had to travel to Bahawalnagar by road, security sources said.

Prince Hamad Bin Jassim, one of the royal family members, had accompanied the royal family when they landed in Lahore in the first week of December. The prime minister’s family had hosted a luncheon for them at their Jati Umra residence in Raiwind. However, an official said, the prince had left Pakistan a few days ago.

Prince Jassim had made headlines over a month ago when the Sharifs presented a letter from him regarding the ownership of their London property raised in the Panamagate case in the Supreme Court.

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chairman Imran Khan had termed the letter “fake” and demanded the PM’s disqualification.

Prince Jassim, Qatar’s former prime minister, and Saifur Rehman of Ehtesab Bureau-fame are among the owners of REDCO International. The former premier has shown willingness to appear before the court or a commission to be cross-examined if the letter needed to be verified. His name, too, had appeared in the Panama Papers.

A new bench of the Supreme Court is scheduled to resume hearing of the Panamagate case on Wednesday (today).

Published in Dawn January 4th, 2017

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Pakistan

Farmers mount protest against Qatari hunters over damage to crop

Odd foreign policy priority

Bahraini king, family members get permits to hunt protected houbara bustard

kanwarch

Jan 04, 2017 08:34am

Shame on our government for letting these people from other countries loot our nation and demolish our wildlife.

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Ramanan

Jan 04, 2017 08:31am

After all, allowing killing of rare birds is corner stone of Pakistan's foreign policy! This was told by your govt to courts.! Amazing.

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Dawn

Jan 04, 2017 08:35am

The royal families can contact me for better African hunts.

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Nkhan

Jan 04, 2017 08:41am

Shame on these so called royal family members.Syrians r dying without food and shelters and they r busy in hunting innocent birds.These birds migrate to Pakistan to protect them self from cold weather but they don't know butcher r ready to kill them for fun.

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the MUHAJIR

Jan 04, 2017 08:50am

Are we slaves to these arabs do we have any shame left

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the MUHAJIR

Jan 04, 2017 08:52am

Allowing birds is our foreign policy?

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rrd

Jan 04, 2017 09:04am

i am surprised,you must be proud of your govt for their hospitality.

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ABood

Jan 04, 2017 09:35am

@kanwarch .as if you cared for the environment and wildlife keyboard warrior.

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farooq

Jan 04, 2017 09:44am

It's hard for Pakistanis to get Qatar work visa but royal peoples can enjoy any thing !

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A SAD PAKIStanI

Jan 04, 2017 10:14am

Shameless corrupt politicians have made us slaves of Arab royals.

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JUSTICE

Jan 04, 2017 10:12am

The royal families are not brave to go for real hunting in Africa.

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pandit

Jan 04, 2017 10:20am

this is not right to allow these royals to hunt migratory birds in pakistan for fun

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Skeptic

Jan 04, 2017 11:00am

This must be the entire purpose of their existence on this earth - hunting, leisure, fast cars, flashing money, and increase the suffering of the less fortunate because of their indulgence! Nine if these fabulously wealthy, lazy Gulf states has taken in a single Syrian refugee - forced to flee their country because of the interference of these Arab regimes, who imposed war on them.

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adnan

Jan 04, 2017 11:10am

Qataris seems to love hunting, hunting and killing birds in deserts of Pakistan and in their own deserts killing cheap labor which are imported from countries like Pakistan.

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Anjum - KSA

Jan 04, 2017 11:20am

What a great piece of news!! Thanks for utilizing the time in this much needed article. Keep up the good work Dawn!!

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Asif

Jan 04, 2017 11:35am

This matter needs to be seriously addressed. Sick of these "friendly" nations and their footprint in our country for all the wrong reasons.

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Malal

Jan 04, 2017 11:40am

The level of corruption and collusion in open corruption of these people is mind boggling. Its a shame that every body but the courts can't see and make sense of what is going on. The prime minister was caught lying in parliament and its a recorded video yet this rich Qatari prince came to his rescue with a letter and now he is here hunting and selling LPG at exorbitant rates. Well done sir, you deserve another term in office Mr PM.

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saint

Jan 04, 2017 11:49am

These losers need to find some other way to pass time

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umair

Jan 04, 2017 11:46am

@Nkhan not for fun. the meat on these birds is supposed to be an aphrodisiac, i.e. will increase their fertility. In fact, yes, that does mean that they are killing for fun. I stand corrected.

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Pakistani

Jan 04, 2017 11:58am

The country is paying through their nose for the favours / ehsanaat taken by NS&Co. The worrying part is, for how long!?!

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N GUJARNWALA

Jan 04, 2017 11:58am

It is shame on humanity and third world countries. Revenue generation and income through such sources should be banned in a civilized society. No one has a right to kill birds out of sheer fun and amusement.

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Charity

Jan 04, 2017 12:06pm

This is cost of living on charity , we just need to watch out how we pay for CPEC.

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Taimur

Jan 04, 2017 12:24pm

I had to visit Qatar on business trip but the process to get visa for business trip is as complicated as to get employment visa. And these guys are here killing rare birds which I think is illegal for most of the Pakistanis and nobody asks them. Is Pakistan a colony of Qatar?

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J Abid

Jan 04, 2017 12:31pm

Middle Eastern 'good for nothing' rulers MUST not be allowed to kill the birds in Pakistan. N Shareef should be tried to allow this to happen.

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rana

Jan 04, 2017 01:08pm

In India killing of migratory birds during winter from far flaung Siberia is criminal offense. It also depicts inhuman cruelty.

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Merchant

Jan 04, 2017 02:41pm

Shame on Nawaz Government and even more shame in Qataris for destroying protected bird species. This spells disaster for the environment we are living and death knell for the birds.

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Peasant

Jan 04, 2017 02:57pm

Shame on our people for not coming out and throwing off these people from throne. Clearly they are operating like toyals. Rewarding all the people who helped them in any way. But people are happy to serve as loyal subjects.

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GAK Wazir

Jan 04, 2017 03:28pm

Let them do hunting in all parts of the country as they are our guests and they treat us in their own country very well. Hunting is no crime under the law of Pakistan as licensces are issued to the hunters by the government of Pakistan for a lilmited period . What heaven falls if the royal members are issued legal docs of hunting for two or three weeks?

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Dsm

Jan 04, 2017 03:38pm

Why dosent anyone opposes in Pakistan, send these hunters out of ur country, ur gov is destroying the left wild life of country, do some protests

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Jan 04, 2017 04:44pm

I don't think he is here for the birds.. he is here for the Sharif .. probably something to do with the Qatari letter that is now come under scrutiny after Imran Khans press conference yesterday.

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Khurram waqas

Jan 04, 2017 04:53pm

@GAK Wazir Hunting an endangered specie is a crime. Don't generalize the term 'hunting'. Please get information on the subject before supporting a crime. " Hunts in some parts of Pakistan have been organized for wealthy Arabs who purchase permits to hunt a limited number of birds but routinely exceed quotas. The meat of this bustard is believed in the Arab world to be an aphrodisiac (It is considered as a diuretic according to another source).Rapid population declines of about 50% were seen in their breeding grounds in Kazakhstan between 1998 and 2002 and thought to be due to hunting, especially in their winter grounds. Annual declines over a ten-year period across Asia were estimated at around 27–30% in 2004." Source-Wikipedia

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Taimur

Jan 04, 2017 04:54pm

@rana This is great and we must learn from India

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Kamran

Jan 04, 2017 05:03pm

This is shameful. Why allow the hunting of endangered birds?

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Truth

Jan 04, 2017 05:32pm

Humans used to hunt to eat and live.. That feat is now mostly limited to animal kingdom. People still go fishing, because fish have properties with unique benefits for humans and animals alike, as well as for by-products to create other products. And than there ware those who live to hunt - for the sheer fun of it, because they cannot find anything better to do with their idle time or obscene wealth! What a waste of humanity!

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Arun

Jan 04, 2017 05:34pm

Wildlife is the part of national heritage for any country. Why Pakistan is letting others destroy it's valued heritage?

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Dr. SalariA, Aamir Ahmad

Jan 04, 2017 05:48pm

These guys are crazy.

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Asad

Jan 04, 2017 06:02pm

I feel ashamed of Pakistani whenever our govt. of our country letting these bunch of Arabs to loot our resources.... I mean why not they simple close the door on the face of these Arabs when they asking for such permits.... Or the govt. Don't have the guts to say no.... Such a incompetent PM n govt we have.. Pathetic....

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parvez

Jan 04, 2017 06:06pm

Save your wildlife.protest these barbaric practices of Arab people

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syed Shahzad Bukhari

Jan 04, 2017 06:25pm

Allowing hunting migratory/extinction birds is really sad.

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Javed

Jan 04, 2017 07:00pm

@Charity is right. This is the cost of living on Charity. And it is the bottom line. No Arab or Western country invited us, we are going there by our own choice. We have to do some retrospect, why millions of Pakistanis either educated or uneducated are migrating to other countries for decades? We are suppose to be thankful to them that they have let us in and allow us to be flourished. Dignified nations keep their house in order and provide healthcare, education and employment opportunities to their citizens.

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Jason

Jan 04, 2017 07:05pm

Another "letter" coming? or possibly a personal visit as a witness in the court?

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BAXAR

Jan 04, 2017 07:19pm

Falcons do not endanger any species, please don't make a mountain out of a mole. Lot of rich people pay a lot of money to witness predators hunting rare deer. It is natural and spectacular. Both are endangered species because of human development. Humans killing rare animals is surely disgusting, but it is not the case here. You will never see a falcon hunting more birds than necessary, however trained they might be. And they are in limited numbers. I know for a fact that these royals are most generous contributors for wildlife and human preservation as well (beside their shortcomings), contrary to those criticizing them left and right.

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Agha Ata

Jan 04, 2017 08:02pm

If a prime minister has a slave-mentality, what can you do?

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zulfi

Jan 04, 2017 08:07pm

This is the only thing that these spoilt sheikhs are good at!

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saber

Jan 04, 2017 08:15pm

In the name of one letter...

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patriot

Jan 04, 2017 08:27pm

Shame

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Masood Hussain

Jan 04, 2017 08:43pm

What sort of Arab royal Families are they>What ever happens tp World they are not bothered, they must indulge in Bird Hunting.

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The end is near

Jan 04, 2017 09:06pm

Shame on our Government. Qatari letter was also fake and has no legal weight. What favour PMLN Govt. wants from these Royals now??. They are killing very rare and endangered wildlife protected Pakistani birds just for fun and enjoyment. .

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Syed Amir

Jan 04, 2017 09:13pm

As a Pakistani who has lived in the west for most of his life, I am constantly and delightfully surprised to read the comments of ordinary people in this section. They sound so educated, so progressive, so well informed and open minded that they could have come from any advanced country in the world. Unfortunately, the people who rule the country are equally ill-informed, narrow minded and seem to have little idea of the 21st century world. Thank you Dawn's readers for your enlightened comments

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M. Asghar

Jan 04, 2017 09:37pm

This rare bird hunting by anybody is a crime, and has to be judged and punished by the Apex Court of the land.

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PAKISTAN FIRST

Jan 04, 2017 09:53pm

@BAXAR Where are you getting your information, there are laws against hunting endangered species and you think it is ok just because you are getting some money in return to keep your mouth shut. No wonder our country is in such a situation because of folks like you.

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riz1

Jan 04, 2017 10:07pm

@The end is near " What favour PMLN Govt. wants from these Royals now??" Funds for survival. Aid sources seem to be dwindling left and right.

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PAKISTAN FIRST

Jan 05, 2017 02:13am

@Syed Amir : But the fault lies within us for electing these thugs and killers to take care of this country. At the end of the day, we have no one to blame but ourselves. That is why I would say again "JAGOO PAKISTAN JAGOO AND GET RID OFF THESE THUGS FROM POWER" or go to sleep forever

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