Karachi, 11 Oct 2023:In a determined stride towards safeguarding forest and wildlife lands, Caretaker Sindh Chief Minister Justice (retd) Maqbool Baqar has ordered the initiation of Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping of Khirthar National Park land, the cancellation of unlawful allotments, and the reclamation of illicitly occupied forest areas. These directives, sourced from the Chief Minister House, Sindh, emerged during a meeting at CM House, where the need to meticulously demarcate, protect, and recover vital ecological zones, particularly the National Khirthar Park, was emphasized amid discussions with key officials including Chief Secretary Dr. Fakhre Alam, and Secretary Forest Najam Shah, among others.
Secretary Forest and Wildlife, Najam Shah, illuminated the Chief Minister on the province’s vast forest expanses, totaling 3.4 million acres, each type bearing unique characteristics and conservation needs. The different forest types discussed included the irrigated plantations or “Inland” forests, dependent on canal network waters from Guddu, Sukkur, and Kotri Barrages; the Riverine Forests along the Indus, relying on annual flooding; and significant Mangrove forests situated along the coastline of districts like Karachi, Thatta, and Badin, crucial for their environmental, ecological, and economic bearings.
During the meeting, Shah revealed that while considerable progress had been made in reclaiming encroached forest lands – with 191,175.2 acres retrieved out of the 232,205.7 initially occupied – a substantial 41,030.5 acres remained under encroachment. In response, Justice Baqar resolutely directed the department to recapture the remaining encroached lands with the assistance of district police and Rangers, affirming a zero-tolerance stance towards the retention of any portion of forest land by encroachers.
Further challenges regarding the illegal allotment of forest lands were also laid bare during the meeting, with 13,438.49 acres still illicitly allotted out of an initial 34,713.05 acres. The Chief Minister subsequently instructed the Forest Department to rescind the remaining unlawful allotments and submit a report to him.
In a defining move to solidify the safeguarding of vital ecological territories, Justice Baqar ordered the Chief Secretary to orchestrate the GIS mapping of all forest and wildlife lands, stretching from Khirthar National Park in Karachi across the province. He further commanded the Wildlife and Forest Department to distinctly define the boundaries of National Khirthar Park from Karachi to Dadu with barbed wire and to undertake its GIS Mapping. Stressing the impermissibility of encroachments on lands of National Khirthar Park from Karachi to Dadu district, Justice Baqar asserted that any infractions would place the Forest and Wildlife Department squarely accountable.