Million saplings pledged on Ismaili civic day

The Ismaili community organised tree plantation and cleanliness campaigns in Karachi and Hyderabad on Sunday on the occasion of Global Ismaili Civic Day.

At least a million trees will be planted across Pakistan by 2022 by the Islamili community as part of its endeavours to enrich the areas they live in irrespective of religious or cultural barriers, officials of the community pledged at a ceremony held to mark Global Ismaili Civic Day. Volunteers of the community have lifted garbage from 79 places across the country, they said.

Tree planting and cleaning campaigns are the best volunteer services for Global Ismaili Civic Day, said Sindh Governor Imran Islamil addressing the main event of the day held at Gulshan-e-Noor Colony in Karachi. The governor said that the Ismaili community's campaign to clean up Pakistan and plant trees served as an example for other communities as well.

"Under this campaign, the Ismaili Muslim community is doing its part to clean up the country," he said, adding that not only trees would be planted but the community would also take care of the planted trees and assess environmental impact.

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The governor lauded the enthusiasm of the volunteers and children participating in the campaign and said that he had come to encourage them all. Ismail urged the civil society to play its role in solving the problems and improving the environment and promoting tree planting in the country.

The governor said that the infrastructure of the Green Line Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) was complete and the buses had also arrived in the city. "The trial run will start in the next 10 days and citizens will witness the buses plying in the corridor," he said. Meanwhile, Ismaili National Council of Pakistan President Etemad Hafiz Sher Ali and Ismaili Southern Council President Arif Sajwani highlighted the aims and objectives of Global Ismaili Civic Day. "More than 20,000 volunteers will take part in activities in more than 18 countries under the Global Ismaili Civic Day.

This day revives the centuries-old tradition of voluntary service to humanity," he said and added that the Ismaili community in Pakistan would launch a campaign for trees for life and a clean and prosperous Pakistan. "Various activities will be organised to raise awareness about the protection of the natural environment. So far, more than 163,000 trees have been planted in more than 150 places in Pakistan under this campaign and one million trees will be planted by 2022 in the country where the Ismaili community lives in Pakistan," he said.

Under Saaf Khushhal Pakistan, 6,000 volunteers from the community, including girl guides and scouts, also cleaned up garbage from more than 79 public places nationally. The global Ismaili Muslim community planted 2,000 saplings in Karachi and Hyderabad on Sunday. MNA Saifur Rehman, MPA Karim Bakhsh Gabol, Ismaili National Council of Pakistan President Etemad Hafiz Sher Ali, Ismaili Civic Country Lead Yasmeen Merchant, Ismaili Southern Council President Arif Sajwani, Gulshan-e-Noor Council President Rai Shahabuddin Wastani, volunteers, girl guides and scouts participated in the campaign besides elders and representatives of the Ismaili Muslim community.