Pakistan court lifts ban on rare bird hunting

Pakistan's Supreme Court today lifted a ban on hunting of a rare bird, houbara bustard, whose meat is prized among Arab sheikhs as an aphrodisiac.

By Press Trust of India on January 22, 2016 at 4:43 PMEmail

Islamabad, Jan 22: Pakistan’s Supreme Court today lifted a ban on hunting of a rare bird, houbara bustard, whose meat is prized among Arab sheikhs as an aphrodisiac. The ban was imposed by former chief justice Jawwad S Khawaja on August 20, who also ordered the cancellation of all existing permits issued by government to Arab rulers. The federal and provincial governments in October had challenged the ban, pleading that sustainable hunting should be allowed. A five-member larger bench headed by Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali lifted the ban in a verdict on the review petitions.

Though the decision was not unanimous and there was one dissenting note by Justice Qazi Faez Isa who opposed the bench’s order. The petitioners had pleaded that issuing hunting permits to Arabs dignitaries was part of foreign policy. The attorney general (AG) Salman Butt asked the Supreme Court to allow “sustainable hunting” of the bird. Pakistan enjoys good ties with Arab rulers who love hunting houbara. Its meat is considered having aphrodisiac value. 

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