No more hunting permits for Arab royals: South Carolina

The choice got here in response to a petition filed by Aamir Zahoorul Haq, who alleged the federal government had illegally issued searching licenses.

In application to the court, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-F party’s provincial deputy chief in Balochistan, Senator Maulana Attaur Rehman, had submitted that permitting foreign dignitaries to hunt the bird brought benefits not only to the people but also the province.

“The federal authorities has not exclusively violated the federal and the provincial legal guidelines however has additionally breached the worldwide agreements by issuing such licenses”, Justice Qazi Faiz Essa.

“Following the 18th Constitutional amendment, the rights to issue such licences rest with the provincial governments”, the three-judge bench said during the hearing.

Wildlife campaigners today welcomed a decision by Pakistan’s Supreme Court to ban the hunting of a rare desert bird whose meat is prized among Arab sheikhs for being an aphrodisiac. Citing global reports, he contended that the houbara bustard was not an endangered species.

Justice Jawwad asked him if a dignitary was above the law. In his remarks, the chief justice said that “These birds are our assets”.

Pakistani officials have been roundly criticized since it came to light that Saudi prince Fahd bin Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud killed some 2,100 birds on three-week hunting trip – 2,000 more than his permit for 100 birds allowed.

The Balochistan government had requested the court to allow hunting of endangered species under strict codes of conduct.

The Sindh and the Punjab replied they allowed Arab visitors to hunt the protected birds in their provinces in view of the FO permission.

South Carolina cancels all existing permits issued by the government. The court also cancelled all allotments of areas to the royal families for hunting.

The apex courtroom’s justices rejected appeals made by federal and provincial officers. However, in September 2014 the petitioner approached the Supreme Court against issuance of illegal hunting permits to royal visitors from Gulf countries for hunting houbara bustard, locally known as Tiloor.