Critical failure of Islamabad wildlife management board

Zeenia Satti RECENTLY, news was published that a flock of rare migratory greater flamingos was killed at Rawal Lake on June 3. Pakistan constitutes an important route called the Indus Flyway for migratory birds, used by seasonal species traveling to and from northern Eurasia and southern Asia. Birds rely on this route, including wetlands and lakes in Pakistan, where they recuperate and find sustenance. Yet when migratory birds are brutalized in Pakistan, it rarely makes the news. Rarer still is law enforcement initiating criminal proceedings against poachers. The Secretariat Police registered an FIR against four individuals for the illegal hunting and killing of flamingos at Rawal Lake. The Deputy Director of the Fisheries Department reported to the police that a flock of flamingos was resting at Rawal Lake on June 3 when they were targeted and killed by poachers with the help of local residents. Two among the four accused are fishing contractors. The Deputy Director of Fisheries described the slaughter of wild migratory birds as a severe violation under Sections 1 and 2 of the Islamabad Nature Conservation and Wildlife Management Act 2024, alongside Section 17 of the Fisheries Ordinance 1961. We welcome sensitivity to this issue. Birds constitute a vital component of the ecosystem in so far as their existence is essential for food chains and agricultural sustainability. Birds play a critical role in seed dispersal and are important pollinators. They are, therefore, responsible for the existence of much of the plant life in the world. Birds also consume insects and small pests on such a large scale that they are essential for controlling pest populations. If birds were to vanish from the ecosystem, there would be an explosion in pest populations so severe that tremendous ecological and agricultural devastation would follow. This was witnessed in China during the Great Leap Forward when sparrows were wiped out on the grounds that they ate grain. Sparrows also eat loc