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Saudi Royal on Houbara Bustard hunting spree in Balochistan
[DAWN] A Saudi prince is on a hunting spree for rare birds in Balochistan ...the Pak province bordering Kandahar and Uruzgun provinces in Afghanistan and Sistan Baluchistan in Iran. Its native Baloch propulation is being displaced by Pashtuns and Punjabis and they aren't happy about it... despite a court-imposed ban and the government's insistence that the foreign delegation is only on a diplomatic mission, bigwigs said Monday. The annual hunt has sparked controversy in recent years because of the Houbara Bustard's dwindling numbers, with the issue also shining a spotlight on traditionally close ties between Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... and Pakistain. The International Union for Conservation of Nature includes the bird on its 'red list' of threatened species, estimating there are fewer than 97,000 left globally. A provincial High Court in Balochistan in November last year cancelled all permits for hunting in the province before the arrival of the Saudi prince and his The provincial government has filed an appeal in the Supreme Court against the ban to seek a formal permission for the Royal guests to hunt, but the hearing has not been fixed. A senior provincial government official said that the Saudi governor and his Posted by: Fred 2015-02-10 |
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