Assassination of Nazim Jokhio: Why does Pakistan attach so much importance to sword hunting in its foreign policy?
"Apologies to those who made a mistake. It's not my fault My God is the Witness. If anything happens to me, it will be the people who are threatening me. "
The statement was made by 27-year-old Nazim Jokhio, who recorded the video the day before his death and posted it on his Facebook page.
Explaining the reason for recording the statement, Nazim said in the video that he had a quarrel with a foreign convoy over sword hunting inside the village and the matter came to a head. Nazim made a video of the incident, which he later said threatened to delete.
The people with whom Nazim had quarreled were part of the caravan of an Arab sheikh and were guests of PPP provincial minister Jam Owais.
To prevent the matter from escalating, Nazim's brother Afzal Jokhio took him to Wadire's farmhouse where the foreign guests were also staying.
"I told him I would slap you once or twice, so eat quietly and apologize."
Afzal said that when he reached the farmhouse, he was told to leave his brother there and come in the morning. When I arrived in the morning, I was told that your brother had expired. I don't understand how that can happen. "
Shortly afterwards, police recovered Nazim's tortured body from the farmhouse of the same provincial minister. The case of Nazim's murder is currently pending in the court and is causing protests in most parts of Sindh province.
Pakistan's sword diplomacy is once again under discussion after the assassination of Nazim Jokhio.
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The people with whom Nazim had quarreled were part of an Arab Sheikh's caravan and were guests of PPP provincial minister Jam Owais.
Why is sword hunting so important in foreign policy?
In the eighties and nineties, convoys of the royal family, who had come to the backward areas of Balochistan for sword hunting, were attacked by Baloch separatist groups, but this is the first time that a large number of people in different parts of Sindh province As well as recording the protests, what is the demand for a complete ban on sword hunting and in the meantime most of the questions are on why Pakistan attaches so much importance to sword hunting in its foreign policy.
The former Pakistani ambassador to the UAE told the BBC: "Pakistan promotes a sport or hobby as a goodwill gesture because we don't have nightclubs like India where we come from these Gulf countries. Take the family members. '
Therefore, there should be no taboo in promoting sword hunting. It is a part of Arab culture and a way to improve relations between Pakistan and these countries.
The former ambassador said that allotment of hunting grounds in Sindh and Balochistan has always been a problem. It has to be carefully considered and Pakistan has been trying to make the best arrangements for its guests.
The significance of this victim and its relevance to foreign policy can be gauged from another incident. Journalist Steve Cole writes in his book Ghost Wars that in February 1999, an Emirati sheikh arrived in southern Afghanistan with his caravan to hunt for the sword. Meanwhile, the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has learned that al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, wanted by the US, is in the Sheikh's convoy and is staying in the Sheikh's camp.
Steve Cole writes that the agency had planned to kill Osama bin Laden with cruise missiles at the same time but the plan had to be stopped due to the presence of the Emirati Sheikh. Also let go of the hand.
And throwing missiles at this tent would destroy not only this camp but also America's foreign policy with the Gulf countries.
This seemingly innocent sword is of great importance to the Arab sheikhs coming from the Gulf countries. While its prey is seen by the royal families of the Middle East as a sport and a hobby, there is also a general perception that its meat is lustful, although this perception has nothing to do with scientific research.
Pakistan continues to issue permits every year for Arab sheikhs to continue this hobby, with Arab sheikhs arriving in Pakistan from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
Also in October this year, the Foreign Ministry issued hunting permits to 11 members of the royal family from Abu Dhabi alone in Pakistan's Sindh, Punjab and Balochistan provinces. These members of the royal family will come to Pakistan for sword hunting from November to February as they do every year.
In addition, the fee for the eagle's permit to come with the royal family is also fixed in advance, ie a fee of one thousand dollars per eagle is demanded. For the training of the eagle, the pigeon is flown in front of the eagle to test the speed of the eagle, how fast it can swallow the pigeon, and for this eagle training, special compensation is given to the local people.
'Royal families avoid political dialogue while hunting'
An official attached to the wildlife department said, "Even if we wanted to, we could not stop this because it is a way for Pakistan to maintain its ties in the Gulf."
One difference needs to be made clear that members of the royal family currently come to Pakistan for sword hunting in two ways.One based on invitations from the government and the other on personal contact with elders and friends.
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A well-known story is related to Zia-ul-Haq, a former military dictator of Pakistan, where he took the time to meet a Saudi minister who had come to Chaghi, pushing for a half-peak, while the Saudi minister ignored all protocol and kept cold. Mehri's behavior continued.
Zia-ul-Haq, along with the Saudi minister, was trying to control the Saudi response to the incident after another Saudi group was attacked by a group of hunters in Dera Bugti district during a visit by the Saudi minister. But the Saudi minister was not picking up several phone calls from the president's office.
Speaking to the BBC, Ahmed Bakhsh Lehri said: "It also suggests that most members of the royal family from the Gulf countries do not want to engage in political talks during these visits. The main reason for not doing so is to prevent any kind of controversy.
History and critique of sword hunting
If we look at the history, most of the researchers count the regular beginning of sword hunting in Pakistan since 1973.
From the 1970s onwards, Arab sheikhs and ruling families from the Gulf began to be regularly invited for sword hunting. These visits were termed as private visits, which Pakistan used to establish diplomatic relations with these countries.
In the same decade, oil production in the Gulf countries resulted in wealth and then Arab sheikhs from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates started coming to Pakistan for private visits.
So what does Pakistan gain from these visits? Foreign policy experts say that Pakistan is not able to take full advantage of these visits.
After the Nazim murder case, all eyes are now on the entire hunting system
"Only the personal relations of the rulers are established."
A former Foreign Office spokesman, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: "You can compare Dubai and Pakistan for the last 25 years. In 1994, Dubai had nothing but sand and water. It was very hot from above. At that time, the Gulf ministers used to ask us on the phone about everything and on the basis of these personal relations and better diplomatic policy, where did Dubai come from and after 25 years, you can see where Pakistan stands.
The former spokesman said: "We have tried many times to put an end to this whole practice because it is a great humiliation for us. The Arab prince gives a watch to those who care about him in front of all the ministers and only in each government the personal relations of the rulers are established. Nothing could be further from the truth. Our resistance was also in vain and it was said that this process could not end.
'Pakistan is not benefiting from hunting policy'
Haroon Sharif, former head of the Board of Investment, said, “All these tours are held in the most backward areas of Pakistan. Whether it is Sindh, Punjab or Balochistan. So this influence can be used for the development of these areas, which Pakistan is not able to do.
An example of this is the Sheikh Zayed Airport in Rahim Yar Khan which was built by Sheikh Zayed for the people there. But apart from this clear example, there is no other example in other provinces where this hunting permit is being used for the welfare of the area.
The school built by Sheikh in Pasni, for example, has not yet become operational. While the water pump installed nearby is also lying in the same condition. Similarly, there is no instance in Sindh where a water pump, a road or a hospital or a clinic have been built for the people.
When asked about this, the organizers of the Arab royal family in Pakistan said that "sheikhs can build schools, it is the job of the government here to run or close them."
On the other hand, the Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan has in the past criticized the Arab sheikhs and ruling families who came to Pakistan for sword hunting.
Afzal Jokhio, brother of Nazim Jokhio
Nazim's brother Afzal Jokhio says he is urged to settle the matter amicably.
"I can't believe that sword hunting has become a major pillar of our foreign policy," he said in a Twitter message following the lifting of the ban on sword hunting in 2016. It is clear that India does not allow this.
But now this is the fourth visit of a Gulf member during his tenure.
In November 2020, the prime minister told a private TV channel in an interview that "Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates are pushing for Pakistan to recognize Israel." Rejecting his statement, he said, "Pakistan will not recognize Israel until a just solution to the Palestinian issue is found
Could find
While all eyes are now on the entire hunting system after the Nazim murder case and people's protests are on the rise, Nazim's brother Afzal Jokhio says he is urged to compromise on the issue. End of talk.
However, the issue has now spread beyond the sword to the lives of ordinary people
In this regard, when members of the royal family arrived in Pakistan from the United Arab Emirates and Abu Dhabi for hunting in February this year, it was rumored in Pakistan that the members of the royal family who came on the hunt would talk about recognizing Israel as a member of Pakistan. But no such thing came to light.
Despite repeated contacts with Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, questions about the government's policy have not been answered