Forest cutting banned in Potohar

Rawalpindi administration starts implementing court order

RAWALPINDI:

Rawalpindi Commissioner Noorul Amin Mengal, in light of orders issued by the Lahore High Court (LHC) Rawalpindi Bench, has banned the cutting of all government forests in the Potohar region. He has imposed a ban on the cutting of trees in the mountains of the four hilly tehsils.

The commissioner has also issued instructions for the implementation of the Forest Act. A violation of this prohibition would be a crime, and cases would be registered against perpetrators, he said. In this regard, the commissioner presided over a meeting at his office on Tuesday. During the meeting, he directed the department to ensure all possible measures were taken for the protection and conservation of all the trees and wildlife in the region. He said that the protection of the natural environment and ecosystem in the Potohar region was the responsibility of the government.

Mengal said that Pakistan was one of the most adversely impacted countries due to the effects of climate change. “It was only a matter of time before such protective measures were taken to protect the population against the dangerous effects of climate change,” he said, adding that accidental or intentional forest fires should be avoided. Additionally, he said, “If the timber mafia does not give up its nefarious intentions, criminal cases should be registered against them, and all resources should be utilised to provide the harshest punishment.”

He directed the authorities concerned to formulate a robust constitutional framework for the arrest of the mafia so that they could not escape punishment. A week ago, High Court Rawalpindi Bench Justice Jawad Hassan has imposed a ban on the cutting of mountains and the trees present on their slopes in the hilly forests of Murree, Kahuta, and Kotli Sattian on Monday. The court has asked the secretaries of the ministries concerned to inform the court about the tangible steps taken by the federal government and the Punjab government to protect mountains in the hill stations.

The court further probed if there was any formal authority working for the purpose of environmental protection in these areas. High Court Advocate Sardar Karim in his petition had stated that the mountains in the hilly tehsils were being cut down along with the trees present on their slopes. “The destruction of natural beauty should be stopped immediately, and a formal order should be issued in this regard,” he said. This culminated in a restraining order from the court and the issuance of notifications to the relevant ministries as well as departments.