The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ministry of Environment on Tuesday imposed a fine of Rs 80,000 on a Qatari prince after he was caught with three falcons in Dera Ismail Khan. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, whose party is currently ruling the province, tweeted on his official Twitter account: Imran said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government is making efforts to protect the rare species in Pakistan but the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz government had given licences and permits for hunting of birds against the law.
The annual hunt had sparked controversy in recent years because of the houbara bustard's dwindling numbers, with the issue also shining a spotlight on traditionally close ties between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. The International Union for Conservation of Nature includes the bird on its 'red list' of threatened species, estimating there are a few than 97,000 left globally. In complete disregard of the court verdict, the Foreign Office continues to facilitate the hunting of the houbara in Balochistan. The federal government had sent members of the federal cabinet to the Dalbandin airport last week to receive the hunting party of Prince Fahad of Saudi Arabia. The PTI chief said this was the difference between 'naya' and 'old' Pakistan.
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