The government has dissolved the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB) and replaced its independent members with bureaucrats.
The Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination announced the formation of a new board consisting of senior government officials in a notification issued on Friday.
The members include the ministry’s secretary, the joint secretary for administration and development, the environment member of the Capital Development Authority (CDA), a high-ranking officer nominated by Islamabad’s mayor, and the deputy commissioner of the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT).
Aisha Humera Chaudhry, an additional secretary at the ministry, has been appointed as interim chairperson until the board’s final structure is determined.
Former IWMB chairperson Rina Saeed Khan criticized the decision calling it a violation of a Supreme Court ruling that mandated the board’s independence from government control. “This is regulatory capture,” she said, expressing concerns over bureaucratic influence.
IWMB had been under scrutiny since enforcing a Supreme Court order to demolish Monal Restaurant in Margalla Hills National Park, citing violations of conservation laws.
On Sunday, the board was instructed to halt all rehabilitation activities in Margalla Hills, according to Rina Saeed Khan.
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This government is the worst government of all times. Independant wildlife board was the need of the hour. Replacing them with government officers will now destroy the sanctity of it. This Establushment-Pmln capature of green lands is unaacceptable.