Residents of Rahim Yar Khan district as well as Cholistan are celebrating the apex Courts verdict to lift the ban on the hunting of the critically endangered houbara bustard as the rich Arab princlings brought them a lot of business.
Several groups have put up celebratory banners across the district and held rallies in which they dance to the tune of traditional music. Most royal families from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) make their way to these areas to hunt down houbara bustards. The migratory bird travels to the desert areas of Pakistan from Siberia every year in mid-December and stays here till the end of winter.
Since the royal families live in their local bungalows, their hunting activities generate a lot of money for the locals during their month-long stay. According to the Rahim Yar Khan-based reporters, the royal families hire around 25,000 to 30,000 residents on daily wages, apart from hiring around 30,000 permanent employees, who look after their bungalows and airports. These workers also look after other establishments that these hunters have funded in the area, such as hospitals, educational institutions, mosques and religious seminaries.
The traders’ community of Rahim Yar Khan is looking forward to the renewal of business. “The traders are thankful to the apex court for lifting the ban on the hunting of houbara bustard,” said Anjuman Tajran Rahim Yar Khan president Haji Akbar Ali Shaheen, who is also the vice-president of Anjuman Tajran Punjab. Thousands of families depend upon the visit of the royal rulers, who have done a lot for the welfare of the people, he said, adding that the lifting of the ban thwarts attempts by the neighbouring country to attract the Arab rulers to their deserts.
Residents pointed out that nearly all development works in Cholistan and Rahim Yar Khan, such as the construction of roads from Cholistan to Rahim Yar Khan city, a colony of small houses, provision of potable drinking water, electricity and other welfare activities, have been carried out by UAE rulers.
