The Federal Minister for Climate Change Sherry Rehman took strong notice of the news on social media about people setting or using and implicitly endorsing, even glamourizing bushfires as vanity backdrops for fashion photo shoots in what was claimed to be the Margallah Hills.
After chairing a meeting of local officials of Wildlife Management Board (IWMB) and the Capiital Development Authority (CDA) at the Ministry who ascertained from local authorities that the two fires were set off in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and certainly not in the Margallah Hills Park area as reported by some media outlets, she still ordered the setting up of a control room jointly run by IWMB and the CDA for heightened vigilance of the Margallah Hill National Park area for the entire fire season which usually lasts from April to June.
Further details reveal that the incident involving a model took place off the Hazara Motorway, while the other incident involving a man setting fire to the forest with lighters took place in Khyber Pukthunkwa, around Abbottabad. The man has been identified, while Chief Conservator of Forests Hazara Zone is investigating this further.
Sherry Rehman said that it was a dangerous emerging trend on Tik Tok which has to be condemned vehemently in order to discourage other impressionable young people who may be misled or seduced by such images into thinking such actions are socially, legally acceptable and not criminally liable. Margallah Hills Park covers an area of 17,000 hectares approximately and is patrolled by both IWMB and CDA forest officers.
Each year, fire management plans are made by both IWMB and CDA at the beginning of summer season which lasts from April to June 30th. At this time the forest is extremely dry due to lack of rain and can catch fire easily.
