Pakistani government allowed King of Bahrain with five of his royal dignitaries to hunt 100 Houbara bustards , which is an endangered bird species. The Houbara Bustard is among threatened species. The news fetched criticism against the government on social media. Earlier, Imran Khan was conferred with the highest civil award by the Bahraini King.
Houbara Bustard is rare bird and an inhabitant of the colder central Asian region. It migrates southwards every year to spend the winter in a relatively warm environment in Pakistan in order to avoid the harsh weather. They spend their whole winter in Pakistan.
However, King’s family has also granted with the hunting permit that include his uncle Sheikh Ebrahim, interior minister Lt Gen Sheikh Rashid bin Abdullah al Khalifa – also his cousin – , adviser on defense, cousins, and other important people of the kingdom located on the northern side of the Arabian peninsula in the Gulf.
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The area allotted for hunting to the king is Jamshoro district (including Thano Bula Khan, Kotri, Manjhand and Sehwan tehsils) in the Sindh province.
The king’s uncle will hunt the bird in Sujawal district of Sindh and his interior minister will hunt in Naushahro Feroze district in Sindh and Jaffarabad district in Balochistan, the report added.
They can hunt a total of 100 houbara bustards in a 10-day safari during the three-month hunting season between November 1, 2019 and January 31, 2020.
The rare species is the identity of Pakistan. Allowing permits to Kings to flatter them would send out a wrong message about Pakistan. The hunting is banned under the local laws and further promote discrimination as Pakistanis are not allowed to hunt the endangered bird.
Pakistani government also issued the permits to Qatar Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa al Thani, his uncle, brother and seven other royal dignitaries of the oil-rich Gulf nation to hunt the houbara bustards last week.
