Villagers attack Qatar royal hunting party

A royal Qatari hunter became the hunted when Pakistani villagers attacked his convoy after they were denied a meeting with the unnamed visitor.

A group of Pakistani villagers brandishing guns and knives have attacked the convoy of a Qatar royal family member hunting a rare bird.

The hunting party was unhurt, but three security guards were wounded during the attack on Sunday night in Musakhel, in Pakistan's southwestern province of Baluchistan, district deputy commissioner Muhammad Yasar said.

"A case has been registered against 25 people," he said.

The group were hunting the houbara bustard, whose meat is prized by Arab sheikhs.

Police said the villagers turned violent after they were denied a meeting with the visiting royal to seek donations to build a mosque.

A Qatari official involved in the sport of falconry confirmed the attack by a large group of men on a convoy of hunters that included a royal family member.

He declined to identify the individual, but said the party was safe.

"Qatari hunters apply and pay for government hunting permits and donate to local communities and wildlife conservation," the official said.

"Unfortunately there have been attacks led by armed groups."

The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists the bustard as a vulnerable species with a global population ranging from 50,000 to 100,000.

It has almost vanished on the Arabian peninsula.


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Source: AAP


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