—-Foreign Secretary Janjua says that all provinces have the right to decline the offers made by Arab princes for houbara hunting trips
—-KP has not issued a single hunting license to royals and foreign dignitaries since the last two years or so, says Janjua
ISLAMABAD: Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua Wednesday said that the provincial governments enjoyed total freedom to stop Arab princes from hunting the endangered bird houbara bustard, adding the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) has been saying ‘no’ to Arab princes since the last two years.
The revelation was made during a briefing by the foreign affairs ministry during a hearing of the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs here at the Parliament House.
The meeting discussed in detail the matter of hunting of endangered birds by Arab princes in Sindh and Balochistan. The matter was brought to the attention of the committee by Senators Karim Ahmed Khawaja and Jehanzeb Jamaldini respectively.
The committee was given briefings on the issue by Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua, Balochistan Forests secretary, and Sindh Forests and Wildlife secretary.
The meeting was chaired by Senator Nuzhat Sadiq and was attended among others by Senators Karim Ahmed Khawaja, Momin Khan Afridi, Tahir Hussain Mashhadi and Minister for Foreign Affairs Khawaja Muhammad Asif.
The committee was told that a number of standard operating procedures (SOPs) have been prepared time and again but their implementation remained the main issue. Provincial representatives told the meeting that the number of houbara bustards was fast decreasing due to unaccounted hunting, as well as, degradation of its natural habitat.
Representatives of the provincial governments were of the view that the foreign affairs ministry should only convey the hunting requests sent by foreign dignitaries and all terms and conditions should be identified by the provincial governments. It was suggested that fixing a certain amount of money as fee and debuting a wildlife officer at the campsite should be made a compulsory condition before issuing of licenses.
On this, officials from the foreign affairs ministry said that the decision-making power was already vested in the provincial governments after the passage of the 18th constitutional amendment, adding the role of the Foreign Office in this connection was restricted to making recommendations only.
The officials further informed the meeting that the KP government had already refused to accept its recommendations and no hunting had taken place in the province for the last two years or so. The committee was told that encouraging trophy hunting, instead of regular hunting, was a better approach towards ensuring wildlife protection.
Foreign Secretary Janjua told the meeting that Khokhrapar agreement between Pakistan and India was being regularly renewed and the railway service between the two countries was operational. The agreement was renewed every three years and was refreshed on January 31, 2018, for the next three years, she added.
Senator Karim Ahmed Khawaja recommended increasing the frequency of train movement and making it a safe journey, adding that the governments of both the countries should start looking for ways to use the above-mentioned border for trade on the exact pattern of Wagha border, Lahore.
The committee was also apprised regarding the details of the budget of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its overall expenditures. Regarding the proposed Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) of the ministry, the foreign secretary told the meeting that a plan, conceived in 2015, of having a convention centre in Islamabad was underway.
The proposed Margalla International Convention Centre would be used to hold international conferences and meetings while it would also provide accommodation for visiting dignitaries. The ministry had not requested any funds for the project this year which would be planned by the Foreign Office and executed by the Capital Development Authority.