Daily Times

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday directed to set up a leopard preservation zone in the capital’s Margalla hills to ensure natural habitat for the endangered species.

Chairing the third meeting of the PM’s committee on Climate Change, the prime minister also approved establishment of Wildlife Information Centre at Islamabad’s Marghzar Zoo. The population of leopards in Margalla hills, according to Islamabad Wildlife Management Board, is increasing and the animal is frequently spotted by the visitors of the trails. The special leopard zone will provide healthy eco-system to the predators, permanently inhabiting the hills.

The prime minister in principle accorded approval for the National Climate Change Policy, 2021 and the National Wildlife Policy, 2021. He also directed to form a think-tank to coordinate efforts among various ministries and to devise out-of-the-box solutions for climate change mitigation.

The prime minister said Pakistan had established its credibility as a ‘Green Champion’ due to its flagship Ten Billion Tree programme, initiated by the PTI government in Khyber Pukhtunkhwa. He mentioned that international community was acknowledging Pakistan’s realistic and tangible steps to mitigate impacts of climate change.

Imran Khan directed the Ministry of Climate Change to review targets and formulate new goals aiming at fast-tracking the steps required to preserve natural environment. He said preservation of the country’s national parks was paramount and stressed the need for inducting trained manpower and utilizing modern technology. He appreciated the efforts of Special Assistant to PM on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam for environmental protection and highlighting Pakistan’s efforts in this field. Earlier, Amin Aslam briefed the meeting in detail about Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), Climate Change Policy, National Wildlife Policy and Green Climate Diplomacy.

The meeting was attended by federal ministers Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Syed Fakhar Imam, Muhammad Hamad Azhar, Ch. Moonis Elahi, National Security Adviser Dr Moeed Yousaf, Minister of State Zartaj Gul, SAPM Dr Shehbaz Gill, Chief Minister Balochistan Jam Kamal Khan and Chief Minister Gilgit Baltistan Khalid Khursheed.

Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar, Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mehmood Khan, Prime Minister Azad Jammu & Kashmir Sardar Abdul Qayyum Niazi and Minister Environment Sindh Ismail Rahu joined the meeting via video-link.