Pakistan, April 25 -- The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Pakistan on Friday expressed "serious and escalating concern" over ongoing and proposed development activities in areas adjoining the Margalla Hills National Park, warning they could cause "potentially irreversible risks" to the capital's fragile ecosystem.

In a detailed statement on X, the organisation said recent assessments of tree removal and land clearing in Islamabad indicate large-scale vegetation clearance and infrastructure expansion across multiple locations in the federal capital.

It said that Margalla Hills National Park and surrounding habitats represent a "critical ecological landscape", serving as "the lungs and natural water filter to the capital city".

"Develop...