Residents Demand Urgent Environmental Legislation in Chitral

Sarwar Kamal

CHITRAL: Elders and prominent figures from Jughoor held a significant corner meeting to discuss growing environmental challenges threatening the fragile ecosystem of Chitral.
The participants unanimously emphasised the urgent need to push the provincial assembly to enact comprehensive legislation aimed at protecting the fragile ecosystem and minimising the devastating impacts of recurring floods in Chitral.
Speakers at the gathering expressed serious concern that delays caused by ongoing lower court proceedings, coupled with administrative weaknesses, are putting both lives and property at grave risk. They stressed that without decisive legal intervention, the community remains highly vulnerable to future environmental disasters due to excessive overgrazing in Jughoor Gool.
During the meeting, participants outlined a structured roadmap to be implemented in phases. The first phase will focus on grassroots awareness, educating the local population about their environmental vulnerability and the long-term consequences of deforestation and excessive overgrazing.
In subsequent phases, students from schools, colleges and universities will be actively engaged through awareness walks and campaigns. The plan also includes collaboration with NGOs and relevant government departments to organise seminars, symposiums and debates on environmental protection.
To ensure a broader and inclusive dialogue, local journalists, political representatives, social and environmental activists, members of civil society and members of the intelligentsia from Chitral will be invited to contribute their insights and recommendations.
Participants expressed hope that this collective effort would mark a turning point in safeguarding Chitral’s delicate and fragile ecosystem. They believed that strong provincial legislation could effectively remove existing hurdles, regulate harmful practices such as deforestation and excessive overgrazing, and pave the way for building resilient communities capable of withstanding future environmental challenges.
The participants also expressed satisfaction that, as a result of the community’s struggle and sacrifices, the Wildlife Department has, for the first time in Chitral, introduced and finalised a new Terms of Points (ToPs) mechanism. The initiative aims to ensure transparency and accountability in the management and proper utilisation of the Markhor Trophy Hunting Fund.
The meeting concluded with a shared resolve that, with unity and sustained effort, the initiative could become a watershed movement in preserving the region’s natural heritage.