Sir: The government’s sickening and senseless plea that “inviting Arabs to hunt is a pillar of our foreign policy” has raised many fundamental questions. Are these the values and the wisdom that define the foundations of our foreign policy? One is left speechless at such a disgusting display of mindlessness and pettiness on the part of our rulers.
Houbara bustards are one of the prettiest and most harmless migratory birds that we have the privilege to receive every year. They do us a favour by visiting our parched and environmentally crumbling open spaces. We return this favour by organising their mass massacre at the hands of the aphrodisiac seeking Arabs.
By issuing illegal hunting permits, our foreign ministry has been an accomplice to this crime. After many years of struggle by civil society the Supreme Court (SC) of Pakistan gave the final judgment to put an end to this barbaric practice. One could not imagine that instead of respecting the SC judgment, our self-destructive government would declare ‘hunting’ as the primary pillar of its foreign policy. The global population of the Asian houbara bustard, estimated to lie between 78,960 and 97,000, is rapidly declining at an estimated rate of 30-35 percent every 10 years and the Asian houbara may well face extinction in the near future.
As members of Mahol Dost Shehri, we are sad, stunned and speechless at the discovery of this new pillar of insanity. We hope the SC will uphold its original decision. The chattel slaves who walk the corridors of the foreign ministry must be held accountable for bringing such humiliation and disrepute to Pakistan.
NAEEM SADIQ
Via Email