Pakistan's Supreme Court on Friday, January 22, overturned its decision to ban the hunting of the houbara bustard, a rare desert bird whose meat is prized among Arab sheikhs as an aphrodisiac. Wealthy hunting parties from the Gulf travel to Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province every winter to kill the houbara bustard using hunting falcons. A file photo of hunters with a dead houbara | Source: YouTube 

In a judgement issued Friday, the court said it had set aside its original decision to ban hunting of the bird and that petitions on the issue would be listed for fresh hearings. Sharif, along with powerful military chief General Raheel Sharif, visited Riyadh earlier this week in what his office said was an effort to ease tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Pakistan has deep military connections with Saudi Arabia and it has long benefited from the oil-rich kingdom's largesse. The prime minister has close personal ties with the Saudi royal family, who sheltered him during years in exile.

Houbara bustards (left) are also used in falconry competitions in the Middle East | Source: AFP