KARACHI: Rejecting bail petitions of five suspects allegedly involved in a case pertaining to cutting mangroves and theft of wood, a judicial magistrate observed that mangroves are national assets and their destruction carries long-term consequences for coastal resilience, marine biodiversity and climate regulation.

Five suspects — Ismail, Qadir, Ali, Abdul Ghafoor and Asif — held in a mangrove wood theft case, have filed applications before Judicial Magistrate (West) Inaamullah Phulpoto and sought post-arrest bail on the grounds that the allegations against them for stealing mangrove wood at Sandspit Beach are false, exaggerated and unsupported by the independent evidence.

After hearing both sides and examining the record, the court rejected their post-arrest bail applications and noted that the defence failed to satisfy the court for the grant of bail at this stage.

“The environmental implications of the offence cannot be ignored. Mangroves are a national asset and their destruction has long-term consequences for coastal resilience, marine life and climate regulation,” the judge observed.

Referring to a reported case of the Supreme Court (SC) of Pakistan, the court noted that the apex court had emphasised the need to treat environmental crimes with utmost seriousness. The magistrate also expressed concern that the possibility of the suspects influencing the investigation or absconding could not be ruled out.

“The escape of several accomplices from the scene raises concerns about the applicants’ potential to evade justice or coordinate with others to obstruct the investigation,” the order stated.

In its reasoning for denying bail, the court noted the seriousness of the offence, the environmental damage caused, the recovery of stolen property and the likelihood of the suspects absconding or tampering with evidence.

According to the prosecution, on June 4, Forest Range Officer Muhammad Khan Jamali stated that during a routine patrol with his team, they allegedly witnessed several individuals cutting mangrove trees and stealing wood logs along the shore near the mazar of Shidi Baba on Manora Road at Sandspit.

The complainant said his team apprehended five suspects while the remaining individuals fled the scene. He added that at least 19 mangrove wood logs, weighing around 1,790km, and an electric saw were recovered from the possession of the arrested suspects.

During the hearing, State Prosecutor Muhammad Haq Nawaz vehemently opposed the bail applications. He argued that the suspects were caught red-handed at the scene with the stolen wood and an electric saw in their possession. He maintained that the recovery was made in the presence of both forest officials and police personnel.

“The offence is not merely theft but an environmental crime that affects the ecological balance and public interest. Mangroves are protected under the law due to their critical role in coastal protection and biodiversity,” he also contended.

On the other hand, the defence argued that the applicants were innocent fishermen who happened to be present at the site for rest and routine activities when they were wrongly apprehended.

It was submitted that the FIR was vague and failed to assign any specific role to any of the accused. Neither any individual was alleged to have been in possession of the stolen property nor was there any clear attribution regarding the use of the electric saw or the cutting of the mangroves, it added.

A case was registered at the Maripur police station under Sections 379 (punishment for theft) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code read with Section 26 of the Forest Act.

Published in Dawn, June 13th, 2025