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MANSEHRA: The residents of various villages in Kaghan valley on Saturday demanded that the provincial government revoke the national park status of Malkandi, pleading that it was a densely populated tourist destination where human lives and livelihoods should not be compromised for wildlife conservation.
The residents of Paras, Kamalban, Jarad, Mahandri, Pattandas and adjoining villages and localities made the demand at an open forum organised by the Forest Department at the Malkandi area of Balakot tehsil.
“I stand with the indigenous communities settled in different villages who are seeking revocation of the national park status of Malkandi. I will raise this issue in the provincial assembly and with the chief minister,” MPA Munir Hussain Lughmani told the open forum.
Lughmani said that more than 1.4 million cubic feet of windfall timber had accumulated in the forests of Kaghan Valley over the years, but the government had yet to devise a strategy to collect and market it, resulting in its continued deterioration.
The participants said it was unfortunate that while almost all other districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had no national parks, Mansehra had five such protected areas, four of which fell within the jurisdiction of Balakot tehsil.
“Would you believe that work on five small hydropower projects is underway in Balakot tehsil alone, particularly in its picturesque Kaghan valley, depriving people of water resources and displacing local communities and now the number of national parks has increased to four from the two that already existed,” one of the complainants said.
The residents said that due to the national park status of their areas, they could not even cut trees for construction timber or firewood.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Deputy Secretary for Forests Syed Haseebul Hassan Gillani heard the complaints and assured the participants that their concerns would be addressed.
“We are at the policy-making stage, and I assure you that the issues raised at this forum will be addressed first. The newly developed strategy, which falls within the ambit of the law, will then be enforced,” he added.
