In view of sacrifices being made by residents of Diamer Valley for the proposed Diamer-Bhasha Dam, lawmakers have requested the government to lift the existing ban on sale of timber for local consumption.
Jamiat-e-Ulema Islam (JUI-F) member Haji Gulbar, and Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) members Janbaz Khan and Rehmat Khaliq said vast quantities of timber are lying in the valley since a decade. This timber could be sold or used for domestic consumption, they said.
The government should allow timber consumption to the local people, given that they have rendered countless sacrifices for construction of the dam, they remarked. They added that the timber, rotting due to heat and moisture, belongs to the people of Chilas, as they had signed a treaty with the government.
Gilgit’s Diamer Valley has been one of the largest reserves of Pakistan’s natural forests. However large-scale cutting of trees for commercial purposes is severely affecting the environment.
The government therefore imposed a ban on timber sale to protect the environment and discourage unnecessary cutting of forests in the area. Since then, huge quantities of timber has been lying unattended along Karakoram Highway.
Khan said the government had prepared a 10-year working plan to dispose off the rotting timber, but abandoned it soon without giving a reason.
“The wood has been there for years without any protection. Isn’t it an injustice against people of Chilas?” Khan remarked. He urged the government to lift the ban on sale of timber for one year so that people could earn their livelihoods.
The lawmakers also criticised the committee formed by Minister for Kashmir Affairs Mian Manzoor.
Wattoo to deal with the issue, saying that the prime objective of the committee members is to fill their own pockets.
This matter should be resolved by the Gilgit-Baltistan government and not by Manzoor Wattoo, the lawmakers said in a joint statement.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 24th, 2011.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ