KARACHI: The World Wildlife Fund-Pakistan has developed a smartphone application for citizens to report wildlife crimes in the South Asian country, it said on Monday.
Pakistan is home to majestic wildlife, including common and snow leopards, brown and black bears, Indian pangolins, freshwater and sea turtles, Indus River dolphins, and diverse species of resident and migratory birds.
However, these wildlife species continue to face serious threats from wildlife crimes such as illegal trade, poaching, hunting and ill-treatment, according to WWF-Pakistan.
It said the application has been developed to report wildlife crimes and coordinate “meaningful” actions by government departments and law enforcement agencies against these crimes.
“Addressing wildlife crimes requires an inclusive approach involving government departments, law enforcement agencies, civil society, and local communities,” WWF-Pakistan quoted its director-general, Hammad Naqi Khan, as saying in a statement.
“Tackling such crimes could be improved by building capacity, fostering collaboration, raising awareness, and creating enabling conditions that integrate the expertise of AI (artificial intelligence) specialists, conservation experts, and members of local communities.”
Wildlife and their habitats are essential for the economic and social well-being of communities and nations. Effective wildlife conservation requires innovative technologies, effective policies, and community engagement plans to ensure local populations recognize the value of coexistence with wildlife, according to WWF-Pakistan.
Advanced technologies such as software applications, AI, camera traps, and satellite data can help address wildlife threats, monitor conservation performance, and promote effective strategies for the protection of threatened wildlife.
Khan said the WWF-Pakistan application would create a platform for wildlife officials, conservation experts and the public to interact and share valuable information about illegal wildlife activities.
“To protect the wildlife, we need to work together and take immediate action to combat wildlife crime as it is one of the key reasons for species decline at local, national, and international levels,” he added.
A link to the WWF-Pakistan application will soon be available on the Google Play Store, according to WWF-Pakistan.
“This application will report and collect data on wildlife crimes, enabling the relevant departments and agencies to take action against wildlife criminals,” it said.
WWF-Pakistan develops mobile phone app to report wildlife crimes
https://arab.news/gkm5w
WWF-Pakistan develops mobile phone app to report wildlife crimes
- Pakistan is home to majestic wildlife, including leopards, bears, Indian pangolins, Indus River dolphins, and diverse species of resident and migratory birds
- The WWF-Pakistan app will report and collect data on wildlife crimes, enabling the relevant departments and agencies to take action against wildlife criminals
Sindh assembly passes resolution rejecting move to separate Karachi
- Chief Minister Shah cites constitutional safeguards against altering provincial boundaries
- Calls to separate Karachi intensified amid governance concerns after a mall fire last month
ISLAMABAD: The provincial assembly of Pakistan’s southern Sindh province on Saturday passed a resolution rejecting any move to separate Karachi, declaring its territorial integrity “non-negotiable” amid political calls to carve the city out as a separate administrative unit.
The resolution comes after fresh demands by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and other voices to grant Karachi provincial or federal status following governance challenges highlighted by the deadly Gul Plaza fire earlier this year that killed 80 people.
Karachi, Pakistan’s largest and most densely populated city, is the country’s main commercial hub and contributes a significant share to the national economy.
Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah tabled the resolution in the assembly, condemning what he described as “divisive statements” about breaking up Sindh or detaching Karachi.
“The province that played a foundational role in the creation of Pakistan cannot allow the fragmentation of its own historic homeland,” Shah told lawmakers, adding that any attempt to divide Sindh or separate Karachi was contrary to the constitution and democratic norms.
Citing Article 239 of Pakistan’s 1973 Constitution, which requires the consent of not less than two-thirds of a provincial assembly to alter provincial boundaries, Shah said any such move could not proceed without the assembly’s approval.
“If any such move is attempted, it is this Assembly — by a two-thirds majority — that will decide,” he said.
The resolution reaffirmed that Karachi would “forever remain” an integral part of Sindh and directed the provincial government to forward the motion to the president, prime minister and parliamentary leadership for record.
Shah said the resolution was not aimed at anyone but referred to the shifting stance of MQM in the debate while warning that opposing the resolution would amount to supporting the division of Sindh.
The party has been a major political force in Karachi with a significant vote bank in the city and has frequently criticized Shah’s provincial administration over its governance of Pakistan’s largest metropolis.
Taha Ahmed Khan, a senior MQM leader, acknowledged that his party had “presented its demand openly on television channels with clear and logical arguments” to separate Karachi from Sindh.
“It is a purely constitutional debate,” he told Arab News by phone. “We are aware that the Pakistan Peoples Party, which rules the province, holds a two-thirds majority and that a new province cannot be created at this stage. But that does not mean new provinces can never be formed.”
Calls to alter Karachi’s status have periodically surfaced amid longstanding complaints over governance, infrastructure and administrative control in the megacity, though no formal proposal to redraw provincial boundaries has been introduced at the federal level.
