KARACHI: The federal government has issued special permits to a top Dubai security official, who is a member of the royal family, to hunt the internationally protected houbara bustard in Sindh during the 2019-20 hunting season, it has been learnt.

The special hunting permits issued by the foreign ministry’s deputy chief of protocol (DCP) Mohammad Adeel Pervaiz were delivered to the Islamabad-based embassy of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) so that these could be forwarded to the hunters.

DCP Pervaiz in one of his letter permits said: “The ministry of foreign affairs of Islamic Republic of Pakistan presents its compliments to the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in Islamabad and has the honour to state that the government of Pakistan has conveyed its recommendations to authorities in the province concerned for allocation of Umerkot District to Maj Gen Sheikh Ahmad bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, deputy chief of police and General Security of Dubai, who is also a member of the ruling family, for hunting of houbara bustard during hunting season 2019-20.”

“The ministry of foreign affairs of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan avails itself of this opportunity to renew to the esteemed embassy of the United Arab Emirates the assurances of its highest considerations,” added Mr Pervaiz.

In another permit, the DCP said that Sheikh Rashid bin Khalifa Al-Maktoum had been allocated Badin district and Jungshahi and Dhabeji in Thatta district to hunt the houbara bustard during season 2019-20.

According to the code of conduct, issued along with the hunting permit, there is a limit of 100 birds that can be hunted within 10 days during the 2019-20 hunting season.

Published in Dawn, January 19th, 2020