Khairpur court summons Arab ‘guest’ for bustards hunting

SUKKUR: The District & Sessions Court, Khairpur, has summoned an Arab prince, his employees and the area SHO on January 26, for hunting protected species of houbara bustard, citing a petition filed by a local resident.

The petitioner Raza Hussain, resident of Khairpur, had approached the District & Sessions Court, Khairpur, in which he maintained that an Arab prince Hamad Zaman has set up hunting camps to prey for houbara bustard, an internationally protected bird species, in Acharo Thar of Nara Town of Khairpur.

Hussain said that when the local residents tried to stop them from hunting the protected bird, they along with the local police and their private security, threatened them of dire consequences for resisting the hunt. Raza Hussain further said that the people of Nara Town have long been protesting against the illegal hunting of houbara bustard. The District & Sessions Court, Khairpur, summoned the Arab prince and his private employees, along with the SHO of Sorah Police Station on January 26.

In a related development, the Khairpur Police on January 20 booked as many as 40 villagers protesting against the hunting of protected bird species by foreign guests in the Nara and Khipro areas of Khairpur and Sanghar, by setting camps at Babal Bhitt and other areas, which threatened the biodiversity of Thar desert besides restricting their movement, making conducting daily chores miserable. It is pertinent to mention that earlier, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had forwarded a “recommendation” to the provincial governments for Falconry Season 2021-2022 (excluding protected areas) with a request to issue necessary permits to the foreign guests in accordance with the wildlife law.

Earlier, Nazim Jokhio, a social activist, was allegedly killed by PPP MPs in Memon Goth, Malir district, for protesting against the hunting of the bird.