CHITRAL: Nasir Ahmed, who serves as the Head Wildlife Watcher in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Wildlife Department, received the prestigious Markhor Award at the Pakistan Wildlife Protection Awards 2026.
The award ceremony was held in Islamabad the other day to mark World Ranger Day, wherein the Canadian high commissioner attended as the chief guest.
Ahmed was presented with a commendation certificate alongside a cash prize of 100,000 rupees for his top performance in the regional category for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Official sources confirmed that the accolade recognises Ahmed’s extraordinary services to high-altitude wildlife conservation, particularly his efforts in protecting the endangered Kashmir Markhor.
According to the released citations, he successfully led anti-poaching operations across the rugged mountainous terrains of Chitral, rescued an injured snow leopard, participated in wildlife crime investigations and organised community awareness campaigns to promote conservation literacy among local populations.
The event was jointly organised by the Federal Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, the British High Commission Pakistan, UK International Development and the Snow Leopard Foundation to honour outstanding contributions toward preserving Pakistan’s biodiversity.
Meanwhile, the newly elected office-bearers of Anjuman-i-Tarraqi Khowar Chitral formally took the oath of office during a ceremony at the local town hall on Saturday.
Renowned literary figure and former chairman of the Geography Department at the University of Peshawar, Professor Israr-ud-Din, administered the oath to the office-bearers, including Abdul Wali Khan Abid advocate (president), Inayatullah Aseer and Fakhr-ud-Din (vice presidents), Saleh Wali Azad (general secretary), Shan-ul-Haq Haqqi and Seyyed-ur-Rehman Seyyedi (finance secretaries), alongside Ansar Ilahi Nomani and Sarwar Sarwar (information secretaries).
Also, aggrieved workers of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) staged a sit-in and blocked Kutcheri Road for two hours on Saturday after the district administration denied them permission to convene a party meeting at the local town hall.
The protest was spearheaded by PTI district general secretary Syed Farid Jan, tehsil Chitral president Shahid Ahmed and senior party leaders Hayat-ur-Rehman and Nazir Ahmed. The sudden road closure suspended traffic across the central artery before the workers peacefully dispersed.
Following consultations with party workers, Syed Farid Jan and Shahid Ahmed announced their defiance against the administration’s decision, declaring that they will hold their scheduled consultative session inside the town hall on Monday, August 3.
According to party sources, the workers had gathered to finalise arrangements and regarding a planned protest scheduled for August 5.
Published in Dawn, August 2nd, 2026
