ISL AMABAD: In a significant development, the government has dissolved the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB) and reconstituted it with bureaucrats, replacing its previous members.

According to a notification issued on Friday, the Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination announced the formation of a new board, comprising top government officials.

The new members include 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 head of the municipal corporation, and the deputy commissioner of IslamabadCapital Territory (ICT).

Additionally, Aisha Humera Chaudhry, serving as additional secretary at the Ministry of Climate Change, has been appointed as the interim chairperson of the IWMB. She will hold the position until the full composition of the board is finalised.

The move marks a shift in the management of Islamabad`s wildlife affairs, transferring authority from independent experts to government officials.

`This is a violation of the Supreme Court order. The wildlife board was always meant to be an autonomous body, independent from the Capital Development Authority and the government. Now the government has created a board chaired by the secretary of the Ministry of Climate Change herself. The institution has been taken over by bureaucrats. This is regulatory capture,` said Rina Saeed Khan, who was IWMB chairperson before the board was dissolved.

In December, the ministry made a similar plan to de-notify the IWMB and appoint new members under the Islamabad Nature Conservation and Wildlife Management Act 2023, which triggered concern among environmentalists and civil society groups in thecapital.

The IWMB, particularly its chairperson, Rina Saeed Khan, had been at the centre of a controversy ever since the Supreme Court ordered the demolition of Monal Restaurant in Margalla Hills National Park.

In a landmark decision on July 11, 2024, a three-member Supreme Court bench led by then chief justice Qazi Faez Isa ruled that leasing land for commercial ventures in the protected park violated Section 21 of the Islamabad Wildlife Ordinance, 1979.

Following the verdict, the climate change ministry issued a notification removing Rina Saeed Khan from her position and placed the IWMB under the administrative control of the interior ministry.

The move sparked legal challenges with civil society groups approaching the Supreme Court.

During proceedings, Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa noted that the notification had been issued by Cabinet Secretary Kamran Ali Afzal, the brother of Monal Restaurant`s owner, raising concerns over a potential conflict of interest. In September 2024, the IWMB carried out the Supreme Court`s orders, overseeing the demoli-tion of Monal and other illegal structures.

However, on the same day, an unidentified contractor secured a stay order from a civil court in Islamabad, presided over by Judge Inamullah.

The Supreme Court later intervened, lifting the stay and recommending disciplinary action against the judge, who was subsequently suspended for misconduct.

Despite these challenges, the IWMB had launched a master plan to restore 80 kanals reclaimed from illegal developments on Margalla Ridge, an initiative welcomed by conservationists.

However, the government`s latest move to restructure the board has raisedfresh concerns.

Environmental activists fear that the restructuring could derail ongoing conservation efforts in Margalla Hills National Park. Following Supreme Court orders, the IWMB has held several plantation drives to rejuvenate and rehabilitate the area where Monal Restaurant once stood inside the Margalla Hills National Park.

On Sunday, the board was asked to halt all rehabilitation activities in the Margalla Hills, said Ms Rina Saeed Khan.tion of Monal and other illegal structures.

However, on the same day, an unidentified contractor secured a stay order from a civil court in Islamabad, presided over by Judge Inamullah.

The Supreme Court later intervened, lifting the stay and recommending disciplinary action against the judge, who was subsequently suspended for misconduct.

Despite these challenges, the IWMB had launched a master plan to restore 80 kanals reclaimed from illegal developments on Margalla Ridge, an initiative welcomed by conservationists.

However, the government`s latest move to restructure the board has raisedfresh concerns.

Environmental activists fear that the restructuring could derail ongoing conservation efforts in Margalla Hills National Park. Following Supreme Court orders, the IWMB has held several plantation drives to rejuvenate and rehabilitate the area where Monal Restaurant once stood inside the Margalla Hills National Park.

On Sunday, the board was asked to halt all rehabilitation activities in the Margalla Hills, said Ms Rina Saeed Khan.