In An Illegal Move, the Government Sacks the IWMB

The Government of Pakistan has finally sacked the IWMB which had done good work such as setting up the only wildlife rescue and rehab centre of its kind in Pakistan, allowing the Farmers Market to operate on its office premises, designating a protected Leopard Preserve Zone in Margallah Hills National Park and more recently greening the former Monal site and restoring it to nature. The new notification regarding the Board is a violation of the recent Supreme Court order which tasked IWMB with rewilding the former Monal site and regulating all the kiosks inside MHNP. The Wildlife board was always meant to be an autonomous body, independent from CDA and govt. Now the govt has created a new Board chaired by Secretary of the Ministry of Climate Change herself. The institution has been taken over by the govt. This is regulatory capture, and illegal. We demand that the autonomous Board which had been doing such good work for the protection of wildlife and the Margallah Hills National Park be reinstated! We do NOT want development inside the Margallah Hills. Let them remain a sanctuary for wildlife and continue to act as green lungs for the city of Islamabad, already facing rising air pollution!

Controversy Erupts as Climate Ministry Considers De-notifying IWMB

After winning many legal battles, the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB) is again under threat! IWMB’s master plan for re-greening 80 kanals of land recovered from illegal eateries is not implemented yet, but the Climate Change Ministry’s arbitrary/illegal move to de-notify the Board represents typical bureaucratic ‘Qabza Group’ capture and control mentality, which is a gross violation of Supreme Court orders as well as solemn commitments made by the Government of Pakistan at COP29! Such action also smacks of cronyism, based on malafide intentions. The rule of law must be upheld to let IWMB continue its work to promote, preserve & protect our environment! Add your signature to the petition to raise your voice in solidarity.

Photo credit: Jamal Leghari (from IWMB FB post on August 23rd)