Crushing the Margalla Hills
With every passing day, destruction of the beautiful Margalla Hills goes on with grave implications for the climate and landscape of Islamabad. For over 40 years, stone crushers have been…
The rape of the Margalla Hills
The Margalla Hill, which forms the backdrop of Islamabad, comprises largely subtropical, dry, semi-ever green forest and pine trees. No less then seventeen hundred species of flowering plants and fifty-three…
Call to action
JANE Goodall graces this world no more. Her seminal research revolutionised primatology by revealing that chimpanzees use tools, are omnivorous, have complex social structures with strong emotional bonds, and engage…
Connecting Gandhara
I was recently invited to attend the National Day of France, a prestigious celebration that not only reflected the cultural pride of the French people but also showcased the commendable…
Guardians of climate justice
As Pakistan unveiled its first-ever fully climate-tagged federal budget, a critical question loomed large: will these high-level commitments truly improve the daily lives of the millions living below the poverty…
Judicial oversight
PAKISTAN has adopted several climate policies, including the National Climate Change Policy (2021) and its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement. However, implementation has been slow and fragmented,…
Vanishing biodiversity
Pakistan is confronted with an often overlooked but urgent truth: biodiversity in the country is under siege. The causes are many: climate change, habitat loss, overexploitation, and pollution. But beneath…
The climate cost of urban misplanning
“The earth does not belong to man; man belongs to the earth. Whatever he does to the web of life, he does to himself." – Chief Seattle (Native American leader).…
A malleable agenda
AS the new world order takes shape, with Trumpism at the forefront, many of us can only watch with bemused interest how, globally, priorities and interests are radically shifting. Diversity, equity and…
Polar bears in the Sahara
Islamabad, long hailed as Pakistan’s ‘green city’, is on the fast track to environmental collapse. Beneath the image of tree-lined streets and rolling Margalla Hills, a crisis is unfolding, one…
