Chitral Baskhar Garamchashma Biosphere Reserve. PHOTO: UNESCO.ORG
PESHAWAR:
The district administration of Lower Chitral has submitted a detailed report to the Peshawar High Court (PHC) confirming the imposition of a ban on the cutting, transportation, and sale of glacial ice in the area. The move comes in response to judicial directives aimed at curbing illegal harvesting of glaciers, which poses a serious threat to the fragile ecological balance in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s northern regions.
In its written reply filed with the court, the Lower Chitral administration stated that glacier ice extraction endangers the local environmental ecosystem. To enforce protection, authorities have invoked Section 144 of the Code of Crimi-nal Procedure, imposing a complete prohibition on such activities. Police and district officials have been instructed to strictly implement the ban, with clear orders to take legal action against any violators.
The report emphasizes that these measures are being carried out in full compliance with the Court’s previous instruc-tions. The court had earlier directed relevant district administrations, including those in Chitral and other snowbound areas, to take immediate steps to preserve glaciers and halt the transportation of natural snow and ice blocks.
The development stems from a public interest petition filed by advocate and environmentalist Tariq Afghan, who highlighted the rampant cutting of glaciers in northern districts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. According to the petition, lo-cal individuals have been extracting ice from mountain glaciers on a large scale, often for commercial purposes such as sale in lowland markets. This practice accelerates glacier melt, disrupts water cycles, increases the risk of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs), and harms biodiversity in high-altitude ecosystems.
PHC has been actively monitoring the issue, issuing orders to deputy commissioners in districts including Upper and Lower Chitral, Upper Dir, Swat, Mansehra, and others to enforce safeguards and submit compliance reports. Earlier court interventions, including interim bans on commercial glacial ice extraction across the province, have paved the way for localized enforcement actions like the one in Lower Chitral.
Environmental experts warn that unchecked glacier harvesting exacerbates climate change impacts in the Hindu Kush and Himalayan regions, where Pakistan hosts thousands of glaciers vital to the Indus River system. Accelerated melting threatens water security for millions downstream, while contributing to flash floods and landslides in vulnerable com-munities.
In a separate matter before the same court, Chief Justice SM Attique Shah heard a petition regarding the disappear-ance of a citizen from Hangu district. The court issued notices to the District Police Officer (DPO) Hangu, the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) in-charge, and other relevant officials, directing them to submit a report within seven days.
The bench also ordered the police focal person to present the complete Call Detail Record (CDR) of the missing per-son’s mobile number in court.
