QUETTA: Governor of the Tabuk province of Saudi Arabia and member of theSaudi royal family Prince Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud arrived in Dalbandinarea of Balochistan’s Chaghi district for hunting the endangered houbarabustard.
He arrived on Sunday in his special flight at the Dalbandin Airport, whereSaudi Ambassador to Pakistan Admiral Nawaf Ahmad Al-Maliki, tribal elderHaji Ali Muhammad Notezai, Chagai district Council’s Chairman Dawood KhanNotezai, Deputy Commissioner Shihak Baloch and other senior officialswelcomed him amid strict security arrangements. Defence Minister KhurramDastagir and Adviser to the Balochistan chief minister on forest andwild-life Obaidullah Babit were also scheduled to welcome the prince butcould not due to their late arrival at the airport.
According to reports, the Tabuk governor did meet the defence minister andother officials after a brief rest. He later went to explore the areaallotted to him by the federal government for hunting the houbara bustard,an internationally protected migratory bird.
A resident of the colder Central Asian region, houbara bustard avoidingharsh weather conditions in its habitat migrates every year to spend itswinters in a relatively warm environment in Pakistan and returns to itshabitat after the winter.
Owing to the dwindling global population of houbara bustard, it is not onlyprotected under the international conservation conventions, but its huntingis also banned under the national local wildlife protection laws, andnatives are not allowed to hunt it. But the federal government issuesspecial permits every year to the ruling elite of the Gulf States.
The Saudi prince was earlier issued a hunting licence by the foreignministry for the specific area.