Daily Times

Two contrary practices are in full swing in the federal capital. Once again, unsustainable development and conversation are confronting each other. The land-grabbers and the real estate mafia are all out to convert every piece of the city into residential or commercial plots without taking care of Islamabad’s green nature. They have the support of the city custodians, directly or indirectly. In many of the cases, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) is leading the havoc from the front.

The second group, smaller in numbers, is nature lovers. They keep on protesting and writing against the CDA’s undue encroachments into the green cover. Whether they are the green belts, natural streams, or the three parts of Margalla Hills National Park; Rawal Lake, Shakarparian, and Margalla Hills. The Ministry of Climate Change of the federal government formed Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB) about six years back to protect the Margalla Hills, National Park. Though it was too late as the Rawal Lake and Shakarparian had already been over-encroached by the CDA and the state departments. Since then, IWMB has been trying to conserve and protect the remaining assets of the National Park.

Now, Margalla Hills are the main focus of IWMB because of the variety of wildlife that has returned to its natural habitat during the pandemic. The returning species include several types of birds and animals. The most important one is a family of the Asian Leopard that has been caught repeatedly by the monitoring cameras around Trail-6 in the Margalla Hills. On the backside of the Faisal Mosque in the Kalinjar village area, Trail-6 is covered with thick vegetation and trees, naturally the most loved habitat for wildlife.

All types of land-grabbers are in action in connivance with the city custodians.

Valuing the return of the Asian Leopard to Trail-6, IWMB has closed Trail-6 for the general public particularly in the evenings to avoid any incident. Last week, IWMB with the approval of the higher authorities declared the Trail-6 as the Asian Leopard Reserve. Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) Malik Amin Aslam inaugurated the Reserve in a brief ceremony. Afterward, the guests were taken to the Trail for a guided visit with security guards.

Z. B. Mirza, Pakistan’s nationally acclaimed biodiversity and wildlife expert, is of the view that the Asian Leopard family is very “gentle” and remains in their vicinity. So, it may be less harmful until provoked or hungry. Be careful while curiosity takes you to Trail-6 or your surroundings.

SAPM Malik Amin Aslam believes that declaring Trail-6 as the Asian Leopard Reserve will help boost nature conservation and protect critically endangered wildcat species and promote wildlife tourism in the world’s one of the unique ecosystems lying close to a human settlement. It is imperative to create a balance with nature and to adapt accordingly.

Ironically, the green nature of the federal capital Islamabad, particularly of the Margalla Hills National Park, is being quickly ripped off by the civil and military bureaucracy alike. All types of land-grabbers are in action in connivance with the city custodians. No difference between civilians or non-civilian, private sector mafia, or the public sector. Each one has its logic to grab the land that comes in the boundary of Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT). The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has a “Master Plan” prepared in the 1960s. It is actually inaccessible but secretively amended and used for its notorious plans.

Almost two decades back, the former CDA chairman Kamran Leshari set the tradition of ill-planned unsustainable urbanisation, especially blunt encroachment into the Margalla Hills National Park. General Pervez Musharraf appointed him, violating the merit. So, he had to oblige the boss unduly. He did it more diligently, not only for the boss but for many others too. The malpractices continue. A couple of years back, the Army grabbed some thousands of acres in the Margalla Hills claiming that it was the grazing land of the army two centuries back. Since then, the tenants are paying the lease rent to the new owners of the land, not CDA.

Recently, Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice has taken notice of Margalla Hills National Park land being grabbed by the army for its Defense Complex Islamabad (DCI). Showing his sheer annoyance, the chief justice has asked the concerned ones to refrain from encroaching into the National Park, and give written assurance.

The IHC chief justice will be hearing the case of the 6-lane Margalla Avenue on January 11. The new Avenue is being constructed without Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (PEPA) has already issued an Environmental Protection Order (EPO) to CDA for ignoring repeated alerts. The Avenue is all set to pass through the Margalla Hills National Park. CDA has already entered 3km in and paved the road violating all the rules of law. God protects the National Park and Islamabad from the enemies within.

More than 2.2 million people are being housed by the city originally planned for a population of less than one million. They all were attracted by the green nature of the city. The population of the city is increasing at the rate of 3.5 percent. If it continues for another couple of years, the capital city would be the same as the megacity Karachi or largest Lahore. Before reaching that situation we have put a full stop to the rapid unsustainable urbanisation of Islamabad and shall have more Reserve Zones keeping the Margalla Hills National Park intact.

The writer is an Islamabad-based policy advocacy, strategic communication and outreach expert. He can be reached atdevcom.pakistan@gmail.com. He tweets @EmmayeSyed