PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court has imposed a ban on illegal glacier cutting across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, citing severe environmental risks, particularly to flood-prone areas like Chitral.
Hearing a petition by Tariq Afghan, the court was informed that up to 200 trucks of glacier ice are being extracted daily for commercial sale, accelerating glacial melt and increasing flood threats.
The bench, comprising Justice Ijaz Anwar and Justice Wiqar Ahmad, criticized the provincial government’s inaction and directed deputy commissioners to enforce the ban and submit reports.
The petitioner urged the government to follow countries like Argentina and Tajikistan by enacting glacier protection laws. The court also recommended glacier oversight be assigned to the Forest Department.