BLACK kullu apples of Bhurban and Pakistani Himalayas, riverine forests of Sindh and the blind dolphins of the Indus river owe much more to Wahajuddin Ahmed Kirmani than they owe to anybody else.

After doing his BSc (Hons) in forestry from Edinburgh University, he used his education and training profitably to the advantage of his fellow countrymen.

His services as secretary of forests and wildlife were of titanic proportions. He established the Wildlife Department in Sindh. His tireless efforts resulted in getting 1,100 square miles of land in the Khirthar Range to be declared as a national park, the biggest in the country.

Having created the park, he got international recognition for it and invited the attention of the UN and other international bodies towards it. He put in place the procedures to ensure the survival of wildlife not only in Sindh but everywhere else in Pakistan. If memory serves me right, he was IG, Forest, Pakistan. Endlessly innovative, he developed and expanded the concept of aerial broadcasting of seeds on the banks of rivers, particularly the Indus River, so that the forests that came up played their role in stopping the fury of the waters of the river during floods. He had a very healthy relationship with both the local and foreign journalists and wildlife experts. He caused the book written in German by Dr Pillary on blind dolphins to be translated into English.

His documentary on wildlife caused the prestigious Rolex award to be conferred on him.

He developed a grand brochure on the Haleji Lake which was printed a few hours before the Duke of Edinburgh visited the lake decades ago. The brochure was prestnted to him and he was enormously pleased with its quality.

Wahajuddin Ahmed Kirmani was a bureaucrat whose equal is difficult to find. May I suggest that in view of his services a road be named after him and a medal be instituted which should be given to anyone who does well in the subject of forestry and wildlife at postgraduate and doctoral levels. This is how we should acknowledge our heroes.

AZMAT ANSARI Karachi