[DAWN] The houbara bustard is a highly regarded bird, but perhaps it too would be surprised to learn that it is a cornerstone of Pak foreign policy.That rather astonishing claim has been made as part of the federal government's attempt to have overturned a Supreme Court edict last month banning any governments, provincial or federal, from issuing special hunting permits.
With the migratory season beginning next month and Arab leaders likely keen on securing their hunting permits here, the government appears to have been prompted into action, but in a typically ham-fisted manner.
To be sure, there are several legal issues here, both regarding the status of the houbara bustard and whether the Supreme Court order overstepped its authority by issuing the blanket ban.
While local classifications can be manipulated by the authorities it is worth noting that the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species classifies the particular variant of the bustard hunted in Pakistain as 'threatened' -- a classification below 'endangered' and 'critically endangered'.
Moreover, the government's review petition appears to make a reasonable case that wildlife laws grants the classifying authority to provincial governments. There is little indication that the existing classification of the bird 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...
, Punjab
1.) Little Orphan Annie's bodyguard
2.) A province of Pakistain ruled by one of the Sharif brothers
3.) A province of India. It is majority (60 percent) Sikh and Hindoo (37 percent), which means it has relatively few Moslem riots....
and Sindh is contrary to scientific evidence.
The problem is not that limited hunting of the houbara bustard is unacceptable. The problem is that -- as the federal government has so crassly indicated in its review petition -- governments here are keen to oblige Arab royals and leaders. That means issuing excessive hunting permits and doing nothing to ensure hunting parties comply with the conditions of the permits and not grossly exceed their quotas.