ISLAMABAD, Dec 31: The Convention on International Trade of Indigenous Species (CITES) has asked all signatory countries, including Pakistan, to strictly prohibit the trade of indigenous birds with United Arab Emirates (UAE), a senior official told Dawn.

On CITES directive, the government has suspended trade of precious birds including falcons and houbara bustards with the UAE in order to avoid their possible extinction in the country.

The Central Board of Revenue(CBR) has been directed by the government to this effect.

The government has also issued a directive to Customs officials at all airports to stay vigilant against the possible smuggling of birds, the source said.

He said that the government had decided not to issue any NOC to a Pakistan exporter or UAE Sheikh to export these birds from the country.

The government had allowed the export of the falcons and houbara bustards only to those people who held a valid NOC from the National Council of Conservation of Wildlife.

It may be added that recently a Saudi prince has sent a request to Islamabad to import about 200 houbara bustards to his country.

Similarly, in the last month the Customs authorities have reportedly confiscated around 250 rare falcons at Multan airport.

Under the trade agreement, the government had allowed the Sheikhs only the hunting of houbara bastard in Pakistan for but to a certain limit. While the export of houbara bustards was strictly banned to any country, the source added.

However, it was noticed that for quite sometime that some foreigners including Arab Sheikhs were involved in export of of falcons and houbara bastard to foreign countries especially to UAE on fake licenses, the source said.

The 18th general assembly of the World Conservation Union held at Perth adopted a resolution urging the government of Pakistan to enforce a complete ban on hunting houbara bustards whose population is rapidly declining in the country due to excessive hunting by foreigners.

The resolution further called upon the governments of Middle East countries to help the Pakistan government to conserve the birds.