In a major policy shift, the government has dissolved the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB) and reconstituted it with senior bureaucrats, replacing its previous members, including independent experts. The Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination issued a notification on Friday, announcing the formation of the new board.
The restructured IWMB now includes high-ranking government officials such as the secretary of the Ministry of Climate Change, the joint secretary (Admin and Development) of the ministry, the member environment of the Capital Development Authority (CDA), a senior officer (BS-20 or above) nominated by the mayor of Islamabad or the municipal corporation head, and the deputy commissioner of Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), reported Dawn News.
Aisha Humera Chaudhry, additional secretary at the Ministry of Climate Change, has been appointed as the interim chairperson of the board. She will serve in this capacity until the board’s full composition is finalized.
The decision to replace independent experts with government officials has drawn criticism from environmentalists and former IWMB chairperson Rina Saeed Khan, who described the move as “regulatory capture.” She argued that the IWMB was intended to function as an autonomous body, free from government and CDA influence.
“This violates the Supreme Court’s directive. The wildlife board was meant to operate independently, but now it has been taken over by bureaucrats, with the secretary of the Ministry of Climate Change herself chairing the board,” she said.
The restructuring follows a controversial history for the IWMB, particularly after the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in July 2024 to demolish Monal Restaurant and other illegal structures in Margalla Hills National Park. The court had ruled that leasing land for commercial purposes in the protected park violated the Islamabad Wildlife Ordinance, 1979.
The IWMB, under Rina Saeed Khan’s leadership, had been at the center of legal and administrative disputes. Following the Supreme Court’s ruling, the Ministry of Climate Change removed Khan from her position and placed the board under the administrative control of the interior ministry. This decision was challenged in court by civil society groups, who raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest.
During the proceedings, it was revealed that the notification removing Khan had been issued by Cabinet Secretary Kamran Ali Afzal, the brother of Monal Restaurant’s owner. This raised questions about impartiality, prompting the Supreme Court to recommend disciplinary action against a civil court judge who had issued a stay order halting the demolition of Monal. The stay was later lifted, and the judge was suspended for misconduct.
Despite these challenges, the IWMB had initiated a master plan to restore 80 kanals of land reclaimed from illegal developments in Margalla Hills National Park. The board also organized plantation drives to rehabilitate the area, efforts that were widely praised by conservationists.
The government’s decision to restructure the IWMB has sparked fresh concerns among environmentalists, who fear it could derail ongoing conservation projects in Margalla Hills National Park. On Sunday, Rina Saeed Khan revealed that the board had been directed to halt all rehabilitation activities in the park.
