KARACHI: The federal government has issued a number of special permits to hunt the internationally protected migratory bird houbara bustard in Punjab during the hunting season 2016-17, according to sources.

They said that Qatari prince Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al-Thani is among those in whose name the permits have been issued.

According to the sources, this is not the first time that a special hunting permit has been issued to the Qatari prince.

The prince has lately been in the news following the submission of his letter in the Supreme Court in connection with the Panamagate case.

In his letter he has described his father’s business relations with the family of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his involvement in the London apartments that are at the centre of the Panama Papers controversy.


Qatari prince among those given special permits


The houbara bustard is not only protected under various international conventions and agreements signed by the country but its hunting is also banned under the local wildlife protection laws. Pakistanis are not allowed to hunt it but it is much sought after by Arab hunters.

According to the sources, the areas allocated for hunting to Prince Hamad are Punjab’s Bhakkar and Jhang districts. He has been allowed to hunt down 100 birds during a 10-day period.

The permit was sent to the prince through Qatar’s diplomatic mission in Islamabad.

The letter sent to the Qatari embassy (DCP (P&I)-19/6/2016-17 Allocation) says: “The ministry of foreign affairs of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan... has the honour to state that the Government of Pakistan has conveyed its recommendation to the authorities concerned in the province for the allocation of following areas — Bhakkar and Jhang districts in Punjab province — to Prince Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al-Thani, former prime minister of Qatar, for hunting of houbara bustard for the season 2016-17.”

The code of conduct for hunting — sent along with the foreign ministry’s letter — said the three-month hunting season began on Nov 1 and would conclude on Jan 31, 2017.

The sources said that copies of the hunting permit had been sent to various government officers, including Umeed Khalid, the conservator for wildlife, Climate Change Division, Building No 144, F-8 Markaz, Islamabad, for information and appropriate action.

Published in Dawn November 20th, 2016

Opinion

Editorial

Political sacrifice
Updated 30 Nov, 2023

Political sacrifice

Imran deserves praise for displaying political maturity in handling party's chairmanship transition.
‘Quick-fix’ nation
30 Nov, 2023

‘Quick-fix’ nation

THE impulse for policy prescriptions that will quickly ‘fix’ the rotten economy, create tens of hundreds of jobs...
Narcotics menace
30 Nov, 2023

Narcotics menace

WE are watching a tragedy unfold — the curse of substance abuse and addiction hits every fourth household in...
Sindh lawlessness
29 Nov, 2023

Sindh lawlessness

GOVERNMENTS come and go, but little has been done to control rampant crime across Sindh, particularly its lawless...
New compact
29 Nov, 2023

New compact

AS elections approach ever closer without any tangible improvement in the political atmosphere, there has been a...
Climate crossroads
Updated 29 Nov, 2023

Climate crossroads

As Pakistan presents its case at COP28, the focus must be on ensuring that the L&D fund.