Daily Times

Imagine that a country’s foreign policy depends on allowing the hunting of the houbara bustard. Most people would say it is a typo error or slip of tongue. Most people would say it is a parody show of the sitcom variety. Most people would say it is just somebody who has become tipsy after a few pegs. But it is none of the above. Rather, it is a legal case being presented by the highest legal body in the country to the highest legal court in Pakistan i.e. the Supreme Court (SC). The case is that the illegality of royal princes hunting the endangered specie of houbara bustard should be made legal otherwise our foreign policy will become an endangered species. Thus, it is a case of endangered houbara bustard versus endangered foreign policy. That itself speaks volumes about how bereft of substance and strategy not only our foreign policy is but how bereft of any legal or ethical sensitivity our government is. This is a crass case of admitting that we are beggars and that beggars cannot be choosers. This is the crude admission of the people at the top that in a country where people die a dime a dozen daily, who cares about a few thousand birds? This is a callous confession of money talking and overriding silly concerns about the ‘God forsaken’ environment.

The psychology of exclusivity and the power attached to being the only one carrying that status is what makes the rich and famous stand out. Whether it is rare editions of Rolex watches or limited editions of gold plated Rolls Royce’s, the Arabs and the rich of the world spend billions to keep these brands alive. Thus, the royal families of the Middle East are feted and bowed down to by lesser countries because, for appropriate ‘service’, appropriate rewards are bestowed on the serving countries. Pakistan has played the role of the obedient butler for a long time to princely visitors. Every government has striven to outdo previous ones in pleasing their desire to hunt rare and ‘no shoot’ birds to get this satisfaction of exclusivity. Houbara bustard hunting has been decried around the world and in Pakistan as well by conservationists and social activists but the practice has continued unabated. The law permits the bird’s hunting but in numbers not exceeding 100 birds. However, once you let ‘his highness’ be, he is not going to let the houbara bustard be when he is in this adrenaline kick drive to hunt irrepressibly.

The record speaks for itself. Gulf Arab royalty taking over huge territory in Pakistan to hunt the vulnerable houbara bustard is an old story. Recently, a Saudi prince hunted around 2,100 birds along with members of his entourage in Balochistan. The prince hunted 1,977 birds while those accompanying him hunted 123 birds during a 21-day expedition in January. The ‘special permits’ issued by the federal government only allow the holder (and not those accompanying him) to hunt up to 100 houbara bustards in 10 days. But what is permitted to the ordinary is not really applicable to the extraordinary. However, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government actually fined and penalised a Qatari prince for hunting this bird while all other provinces have been partners in crime. This serious violation has been supported by governments over a long period of time but this is the first time a government has actually called it a “pillar of its foreign policy”. This brings us back to our discussion of where our foreign policy is, what our foreign policy is, who makes it, who heads it and who implements it. Foreign policies are based on the larger vision of what relations a country envisages with different regions in the world and with what purpose in mind.

If we look at regional relations we see a complete absence of vision, stance, response, strategy and action. The perfect example of this vacuum is our relationship with India. Never before has there been a better chance of developing a policy of putting India on the defensive. Modi has been doing everything to destroy India’s secular image. Most minorities in India are being victimised. The need of the hour was to have a strategy session and develop a very detailed action plan stemming from the vision of creating Pakistan’s positive perception internationally and highlighting India’s aggression on various forums. After missing this opportunity at Ufa, one had hoped that the UN General Assembly (UNGA) session last month was the ideal opportunity for taking the Indian government to task. However, the trip turned out to be more of a family and friends’ vacation for the Prime Minister (PM) than anything beneficial as far as image building for the country is concerned.

When there is no policy, there is no plan of action. With no foreign minister and policy our relationship with India is ‘whatever you take it as’. A typical example of this was the humiliating visit of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, Shahryar Khan, and Najam Sethi. Why is Pakistan dying for a series with India? Why did they have to go to India at a time when Shiv Sena is not even sparing the South African team? Why is the International Cricket Council (ICC) president, who happens to be Zaheer Abbas, not being utilised to lobby our cause? What is the foreign office’s stance on this visit and what is its response to the unprecedented mistreatment given to our officials? Guess what the answers are. None. When you do not know where you are going, all roads will lead you nowhere.

That is why the PM’s visit to the US was more of the same. There was the usual talk about strengthening democracy, fighting more against terrorism, especially the Haqqani network, and solving all issues with India, including Kashmir. There was no mention of Indian sponsorship of terrorism in Pakistan and no mention of trade opportunities. There was no mention of helping with the energy crisis and of course the cue sheet was also in the hands of the PM with the usual quick glances to remember what to say. This just about summarises the abject surrender of foreign policy in foreign hands. But if the main pillar of a country’s foreign policy is based on “to hunt or not hunt a bird” all one can hope and pray for is that the next time our PM goes to meet another head of state, his foreign policy cue sheet does not become an endangered species.

The writer is director communications of the PTI in Punjab, an analyst and a columnist. She can be reached at andleeb.abbas1@gmail.com