ISLAMABAD:The Ministry of Climate Change is planning to change the compositionof theIslamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB) after the Islamabad High Court (IHC) reserved its decision on who would run Islamabad`s Marghazar Zoo.

IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah on Saturday concluded the hearing of the matter, which was related to the deplorable condition of animals housed at the zoo.

He directed the climate change secretary, Islamabad Mayor Sheikh Anser Aziz and IWMB Chairman Dr Anisur Rehman to file separate reports on a roadmap to improve on the zoo`s environment.At a previous hearing, Justice Minallah had passed an order that stated: `As an interim arrangement, the affairs of the Marghazar Zoo and its funding shall be supervised and managed by a committee headed by Naheed S. Durrani, secretary Ministry of Climate Change. The other members of the committee shall be Sheikh Anser Aziz, mayor Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI), Dr Anisur Rehman, chairman Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB), and Amer Ali Ahmed, chairman Capital Development Authority (CDA).

However, days after the court passed these directions, Dr Rehman filed a petition against a show-cause notice served to him for `defiant` behaviour by the climatechange ministry.

Justice Minallah has suspended the notice and sought a response from the ministry.

Dr Rehman alleged that the civic authorities are involved in a blame game over the zoo. He said that instead of addressing deficiencies or improving its facilities, they were making excuses on one pretextor another.

TheIHConSaturdayconstituted acommission as an interim arrangement to look af ter the zoo animals.

The climate change secretary told the court that the show-cause notice was served to Dr Rehman for procedural issues and was unrelated to the administration of the zoo. She added that the min-istry was going to table an amendment to the IWMB Act to change its composition.

Regarding the proposed change in the composition of the board, Justice Minallah remarked that this was an internal matter of the ministry and the court was not inclined to go into its details.

Although the secretary did not share details about the proposed composition with the court,a sourcetold Dawn after the court`s proceedings that the proposed amendment would enable the ministry to take over the board and would pave the way for them to appoint a chairman of their choice.

The court sought proposals from the aforementioned authorities and reserved its decision, which will be announced on April30.