World Wide Funds for Nature-Pakistan (WWF-P) is alarmed at the news item that appeared on July 26 in a national newspaper, stating that the government is about to allocate a large section of the Hingol National Park for defence use.
According to WWF's spokesman here on Thursday, Hingol National Park, the largest national park of the country, was notified in 1997 owing to its ecological and bio-diversity importance. National parks are established to protect and preserve flora and fauna in their natural state.
Since they are also established to provide for public recreation, education and research, access is permitted subject to restrictions. The park stretches over 6000,000 hectares across Lasbela, Gwadar and Awaran districts and it includes both terrestrial and marine components and is the first and only protected area of this type in the South Asian region.
Hingol is identified as a globally important example of an arid or desert biodiversity including low-density populations of many endangered and threatened species. Along with its ecological and biodiversity importance it also houses shrines with religious significance for Muslims and Hindus.
The WWF-P appeals to Balochistan Governor Awais Ghani to intervene in the matter and prevent the desecration of such a globally significant area.