Firdous refutes Billion Tree project corruption allegations

Stop counting trees and bring back the money you stole, PM's assistant on information tells opponents

ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to PM on Information and Broadcasting Firdous Ashiq Awan on Saturday refuted corruption allegations into the Billion Tree Billion Tree Tsunami project initiated by the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) government in 2014.

Responding to criticism over the project, she hit out at Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), saying its leaders "should bring back the public money they stole instead of counting trees".

A parliamentary committee, appointed by the K-P assembly to probe alleged irregularities in the Billion Tree Tsunami project, claimed that not even 100 million trees were planted under the programme.

Speaking to the media in Islamabad, Firdous said the report a political conspiracy.

She said opponents defeated in the 2018 polls were counting trees for political gains, adding that "they would also face frustration and defeat on this count".

Yousufzai trashes criticism against Billion Tree Tsunami project

The special assistant said the spokespersons of PML-N, instead of counting trees, should inform how ousted PM Nawaz Sharif's heart condition improved after being granted bail, and why he had not been admitted to a hospital yet.

The government's political opponents, she added, unilaterally visited the project sites and the report prepared by them was not based on facts.

The opposition, Firdous said, had no other issue at hand and were hence trying to politicise the billion tree project.

On Friday, K-P Information Minister Shaukat Yousafzai had also termed the opposition's allegations "baseless and concocted".

The sites, he added, visited by opposition members had already been relocated.