The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will allow temporary import and export of falcons and issue special hunting permits to Arab dignitaries for hunting Houbara Bustard, a migratory bird, two to three weeks before their arrival in Pakistan. The decision was made in the meeting of National Council for Conservation of Wildlife (NCCW) held on Wednesday with Federal Minister for Environment Samina Khalid Ghurki in the chair.
The meeting reviewed the conservation status of the wildlife in the country and took important decisions on various issues. During the meeting, it was observed that Houbara Bustard was a migratory bird that visited desert and semi-desert areas of Pakistan during winter and as a gesture of goodwill, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued special hunting permits to Arab dignitaries.
It was decided that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will allow a temporary import and export of falcons, two to three weeks before the arrival of the visiting dignitaries, to avoid any misuse for unauthorised export of falcons and illegal hunting of Hourbara Bustard. Comprehensive discussions were carried out on the wildlife trade policy in which views were exchanged on the ban on commercial export of reptiles and mammals.
It was observed that the federal cabinet had decided to continue ban on commercial export of wild mammals and reptiles in 1999. Afterwards, it was decided that the WWF Pakistan and IUCN in collaboration with NCCW, would draft a comprehensive policy regarding their conservation, census, captive breeding and trade. It was observed that policy draft was under process and would be finalised by September.
Arabs to get permits for hunting Houbara Bustard
