pakistan 
fire extinguishing efforts under way as margalla hills again catches fire
On Friday, Margalla Hills again caught fire. The Capital Development Authority first controlled the flames on the sides and then focused on the centre. To control the fire, over 80 firefighters were on the site. This information was posted by the CDA on their social media platform. The CDA also stated that “the firefighters have encircled the fires from the sides. They controlled it from the sides, and now they are making efforts on the centre point”.
According to Kamran Aslam, the CDA spokesperson, additional teams have been sent to join the fire extinguishing efforts.
The Environment Director was personally overseeing the extinguishing efforts.
Asif Majeeb, the environment director, is monitoring the fire extinguishing operation personally. The environment director received the orders from CDA Chairman Mohammad Ali Randhawa. This was stated by the spokesperson for CDA Aslam. He also stated that the assistant commissioner was also present on the site.
The CDA spokesperson also highlighted that there were many difficulties in extinguishing the fire due to high winds and severe hot weather. But every available resource was used to take the fire under control.
Margalla Hills, which is spread over 12,605 hectares, faces a number of fire incidents every year, with 15 such cases occurring only on Tuesday, which took almost eight hours of operation to extinguish the fire.
Suspecting Human Involvement in the Margalla Hills Fire Incident
The interior minister, suspecting human involvement, ordered an immediate inquiry and the registration of the first information report. A committee has also been formed to look over the incidents related to fire. Islamabad chief commissioner Randhawa met with Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi, the city’s police chief. Both the officers had pledged to investigate the case in detail and trace any potential involvement of humans in the fire incidents.
The Islamabad Wildlife Management Board and the CDA are the two organisations that manage the Margalla Hills, and in the past years, both organisations have clashed with each other. Some officials have suggested that someone wants to create differences between these two organisations, and probably the same person is responsible for the fire incidents in the hills.
Earlier this week, the fire incidents came to light when two fire incidents in the Saidpur range hills were extinguished by helicopters and firefighters after seven long hours. The following day, another fire incident broke out and spread to the Noorpur range. After this incident, the prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, took notice of these fire incidents.
