QUETTA: Governor of Tabuk Prince Fahad bin Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud has arrived in Dalbandin, the district headquarters of Chagai district of Balochistan, in connection with the hunting of houbara bustard.

Chagai, Washuk, Kharan and other areas of Rakhshan valley of southern and western Balochistan are famous for presence of houbara bustard, including local and Siberian birds of the species.

Earlier, the superior courts had banned the hunting of the endangered bird, but recently the Supreme Court lifted the ban.

The Tabuk governor was welcomed by Saudi Ambassador to Pakistan Abdullah Zahrani, Adviser to Balochistan Chief Minister Muhammad Khan Lehri, MPAs Ghulam Dastagir Badini and Sakhi Amanullah Notezai and Quetta Division Commissioner Qambar Dashti at the Dalbandin airport on Saturday.

Chagai Deputy Commissioner Khuda-i-Nazar Barrach said that the governor of Tabuk would stay in Balochistan for four weeks and during his stay would inspect ongoing development schemes being executed in the province with Saudi funds.

A heavy contingent of law-enforcement personnel were deployed for security of the Tabuk governor.

The Balochistan High Court had banned the hunting of houbara bustard on a constitutional petition filed by former Balochistan Assembly speaker Muhammad Aslam Bhootani.

However, the federal and Balochistan governments and some other people who used to host foreign dignitaries for hunting the endangered birds, had filed a petition in the Supreme Court against the decision of the Balochistan High Court.

The Supreme Court bench, headed by then Chief Justice Jawad S. Khawaja, after hearing the plea, had dismissed the petition of the federal and Balochistan governments and upheld the verdict of the Balochistan High Court banning the hunting of the bird.

But, the federal government filed a review petition in the Supreme Court which allowed the hunting of the bird.

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Published in Dawn, February 1st, 2016