QUETTA: Sixteen members of an entourage of the emir of Qatar who were taken into custody on Wednesday have been shifted to Quetta. Six houbara bustards found in the possession of the arrested people have been handed over to the wildlife department.

Levies personnel arrested the 16 people — three Bangladeshis and 13 Pakistanis — in the Galangoor area of Noshki district after drivers of the vehicles they were travelling in had ignored a signal of the personnel to stop at a checkpost. The drivers had allegedly broken a barrier at the checkpost and tried to escape.

The arrested people were members of an advance party going to Mashkeel area for making arrangements for a hunting programme of the emir of Qatar who is expected to arrive in the area in a few days.

An official of the Noshki district administration told Dawn that the 16 people were arrested for ignoring the signal of the Levies personnel.

The federal government has granted permission to Qatar’s emir and some other Arab dignitaries for the hunting of the migratory bird in Mashkeel and some other areas of Kharan district.

Published in Dawn February 4th, 2017