THE humble houbara bustard on one side versus the rapacious Arabs and supine Pakistani governments on the other it was always a no-contest. Now, however, the Supreme Court, in response to a petition, has weighed in on the issue of foreign dignitaries from the Arab world being granted licences every year to hunt the internationally protected bird in various parts of the country. The court made its objection to the practice very clear and added that the Foreign Office, which issued the licences, did not `prima facie` have the authority to do so. The court, which raised questions of violation of sovereignty and the decimation of environmental assets in the leeway being given to the Arabs, ordered the centre and provincial governments to submit detailed reports on the situation by Aug 11. Failure to do so satisfactorily, it said, would result in the foreign secretary being summoned to explain why such permits were being granted.

The crescendo of voices from civil society objecting to the arrival of the bustard-hunting parties from Gulf countries has been growing louder each year. Giving the protests further impetus is evidence that the visitors brazenly flout even the nominal constraints placed on them by their host country. In early 2014, for instance, a Saudi prince hunted 2,100 houbaras during the course of 21 days, whereas the permit limits the holder to a maximum of 100 birds over a 10-day period. Last year, the high court in Balochistan decided to take up the gauntlet by cancelling the permits awarded to foreigners for hunting the bird in the province. Nevertheless, the hunters were welcomed with open arms, with the Balochistan government itself challenging the ban. That is where the problem lies: those who are responsible for upholding the law and protecting this country`s assets whether environmental or otherwise are themselves either beholden in myriad ways to international parties or else want to pander to them for future gains. Until that changes, the courts are our only hope.