By IANS
Karachi : The Pakistani government has permitted 31 members of the ruling families of four Gulf states to hunt up to 200 bustards each during the 2007-08 season.
Nine permits have been issued to the ruling family of Qatar, and five each to the rulers of Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Seven members of the Saudi ruling family and five of Bahrain have also received permits from the foreign ministry.
“The permits are person-specific, each with a bag limit of 200 birds, and forbid the trapping and netting of the bird and poaching of chicks and eggs,” Dawn reported Tuesday.
The rulers of Abu Dhabi have got the largest hunting area, stretching over eight districts in the Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan provinces, it added.
The following are the names of the permit holders:
Saudi Arabia: Crown Prince, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence and Aviation Sultan bin Abdul Aziz; Interior Minister Prince Naif bin Abdul Aziz; Prince Saud bin Abdul Mohsin; Prince Abdullah bin Mohammad bin Abdul Aziz; Prince Faisal bin Abdullah bin Mohammad; Prince Fahad bin Mohammad bin Abdul Aziz; Sultan bin Abd El Rehman bin Al-Sudairi.
Abu Dhabi: President Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan; Crown Prince Lt. Gen. Shaikh Mohammad bin Zayed; Deputy Prime Minister Shaikh Hamdan bin Zayed; Shaikh Sultan bin Khalifa bin Zayed; Deputy Prime Minister Shaikh Sultan bin Zayed.
Dubai: Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai Shaikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al-Maktoum; Shaikh Rashid bin Khalifa Al-Maktoum; deputy chief of police and general security Shaikh Ahmad bin Rashid; Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance and Industry of UAE Shaikh Hamdan bin Rashid; Director of UAE Prime Minister’s Office Nasser Abdullah Hussain.
Bahrain: Shaikh Rashid bin Isa bin Sulman Al-Khalifa; Commander of National Guards Maj. Gen. Shaikh Mohammad bin Isa bin Sulman Al-Khalifa,; Minister of Electricity and Water Shaikh Abdullah bin Sulman; Minister of Defence Shaikh Khalifa bin Ahmed; Shaikh Ahmed bin Ali.
Qatar: Heir Apparent Shaikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani; Prime Minister Shaikh Abdullah bin Khalifa; Shaikh Jassim bin Hamad Al-Thani; Shaikh Mohammad bin Khalifa; First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Shaikh Hammad bin Jassim bin Jaber; Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Maj. Gen. Hamad bin Ali Al-Attiya; Shaikh Faisal bin Thani; Shaikh Ali bin Abdullah; Shaikh Abdul Rehman bin Naseer bin Qasim.