Lahore – Our Wild Correspondent: In a new documentary by National Geographic, researchers track a strange political animal that treks all the way from across two continents every two years in search of nutritional bounty.
Tahir-ul-Qadri, of the genus Halwa Maulvius, makes his biennial trek much to the excitement of the local population and is surrounded by many at the penultimate stage of the journey.
“It likes to speak, a lot,” says Dr Mathew Anderson, a political zoologist. “And that makes for a lot of good photos. In fact, many TV channels also give blanket exclusive coverage to this political animal.”
“The government is weary of this infestation that it faces every two years, which is more serious than the monkey invasion in New Delhi,” added Dr Anderson. “But with time, the government has had enough experience to tackle the problem effectively. Now, there is no initial cajoling or coaxing, but we hear allegations that the government directly makes some sort of covert financial deal, which our documentary is here to capture.”
“That is exactly why it makes these biennial migrations, much like many across the animal kingdom.”