The Khan administration has made arrangements for the high level visiting Saudi delegation led by Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman to hunt the internationally protected bird, houbara bustard. Security sources told Business Recorder that arrangements are in place for the hunt in some areas between Punjab and Sindh, and in Balochistan.
The Pakistan army has made the arrangements, sources revealed, adding that it was not confirmed whether the crown prince would join the hunt given his tight schedule. Earlier this month the federal government issued special permits to members of the Gulf States' royal families to hunt the houbara bustard.
Allowing the hunting of Houbara bustard has been a cornerstone of Pakistan's foreign policy, particularly with regard to Gulf States. Successive governments have facilitated Arab royals to hunt the internationally protected bird.
The ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf had criticized the previous administration when it issued hunting permits to members of the Arab royal families last year and announced that it would not allow them to hunt in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where the PTI was in government.
The crown prince is due to arrive in Islamabad today along with a high powered delegation after a one day delay. The Foreign Office on Friday issued a new schedule of the visit from February 17-18 instead of February 16-17. However, no reason was given for the delay.
A senior official of the Foreign Office told Business Recorder that the dates of the scheduled visits of foreign dignitaries are finalized at the diplomatic level after thorough discussions; he added that prior to finalizing the dates there are a few set of proposed dates that are discussed at the diplomatic level. He expressed his inability to state the reason behind the one day delay.
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