ISLAMABAD: Terming the formation of the new Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB) a bureaucratic capture, former IWMB chairperson Rina Saeed Khan on Monday said a nexus of bureaucrats was trying to restart commercial activities in the heart of the Margalla Hills National Park (MHNP).

Addressing a press conference at the National Press Club, Ms Khan said Monal, La Montana and Gloria Jean were demolished on the direction of the Supreme Court as they operated sans legal cover.

Flanked by Advocate Umer Ijaz Gillani, environmentalist Nilofer Afridi Qazi and volunteer Mansoor Shirwani, the former chairperson said the Margalla Hills were the lungs of Islamabad.

She said on the direction of the apex court, the board had removed the above-mentioned restaurants.

Despite court orders, she said some elements with vested interest were hell-bent on resuming commercial activities inside the wildlife sanctuary.

She said that various tactics were applied to stop the board from doing restoration work and finally the government dissolved the board and reconstituted it with bureaucrats.

Advocate Gillani said as per the Islamabad Nature Conservation and Wildlife Management Act 2024, the new board should comprise nine members, including members from the private sector with environmental backgrounds.

He said the purpose of the new act was to strengthen the board and make it autonomous but the government, taking cover of the act, replaced the vibrant board with government officials.

“What was the urgency [of dissolving the board]? He questioned.

Legally speaking, this new board is illegal as it comprises only five government officials, he contended and vowed to challenge its formation in court.

Meanwhile, Ms Khan said the IWMB under her command was not indispensable. “If the government wanted to form a new board, it should have appointed people with a background in environment who were at least committed to protecting the environment,” she said.

Meanwhile, when the press conference was being held inside the National Press Club, several people held protests outside the club, stating that 1,100 people were deprived of their livelihood after the demolition of the restaurants.

They demanded that action should be taken against other commercial activities that were taking place inside the national park area.

Volunteer Mansoor Shirwani said the protesters remained silent for three months, but when restoration work was started on land where Monal Restaurant stood, they started agitating.

He alleged that the protesters were being provided logistical support, including lunchboxes, by people with a vested commercial interest in Margalla Hills.

He also claimed that he had been doing cleanliness work on Pir Sohawa Road and witnessed that trash was spread deliberately in the area to defame the IWMB.

It is relevant to note here that the national park comprises Margalla Hills, Shakarparian and an area that falls within a two-kilometre radius of Rawal Dam. However, the Supreme Court, in its judgement of last year, focused only on Pir Sohawa Road, where Monal and other restaurants operated.

Meanwhile, another restaurant was operating in the Damn-i-Koh area.

When asked about this restaurant, which is also located on Pir Sohawa Road, the former chairperson said a notice was served to the restaurant owner.

According to a notification issued on Friday, the Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination announced the formation of a new board, comprising top government officials.

The new members include the secretary of the Ministry of Climate Change, the joint secretary (Admin and Development) of the ministry, the member environment of the Capital Development Authority, a senior officer nominated by the mayor of Islamabad or the head of the municipal corporation, and the deputy commissioner of Islamabad.

Additionally, Aisha Humera Chaudhry, serving as additional secretary at the Ministry of Climate Change, has been appointed as the interim chairperson of the new board.

She will hold the position until the full composition of the board is finalised.

Published in Dawn, February 11th, 2025