Illegal logging goes on unchecked in Dir

Four forest guards arrested for stopping police vehicle full of timber

UPPER DIR/ DIR LOWER:

Despite the government claims of planting trees across KhyberPakhtunkhwa (K-P), there are little efforts to protect the existing forests in the province as illegal logging of trees has been going on in Dir Lower on a large scale.

Local residents told The Express Tribune that timber mafia was especially active in Rabat Darra and Tormang Darra who were chopping trees and smuggling timber to parts of K-P as well as Punjab.

“Timber smuggling is a highly lucrative business and it is probably the only way to become rich overnight in these mountains. Due to the lack of forest guards, it is comparatively easier for the smugglers to accomplish their job without being noticed or perhaps they are also a part of it,” said a local elder, demanding of the government to take notice of this situation and arrest those responsible for it.

“Soon our mountains will be completely void of their forest cover and the provincial government will be responsible for this disaster. Very influential people are behind the timber smuggling and the forest department is also unwilling to take steps to stop it,” said another local elder.

He said that there were several police check posts along entry and exit points but smuggling was going on under the cover of darkness unnoticed which is really unfortunate. Local residents demanded of Chief Minister Mahmood Khan to take notice of the situation and order an inquiry into the matter to fix responsibility and punish those involved.

Forest guards protest in Upper Dir

On Friday dozens of forest guards staged a protest rally in Upper Dir after police arrested several forest guards when they reportedly intercepted a police vehicle full of timber.

They staged a sit-in outside the office of deputy commissioner on Peshawar-Chitral Road and blocked it for all kind of vehicular traffic. A forest guard told The Express Tribune that they had received information that timber was being smuggled in a vehicle following which they sealed all the entry and exit points and stopped a police vehicle laden with timber.

“Policemen instead of surrendering the timber and cooperating with forest guards, arrested our guards and took them to the local police station where they were tortured and booked for attacking police,” they said, adding that the timber was also removed from the vehicle.

Deputy Commissioner Dir Upper Akmal Khan assured them that the matter would be investigated properly and action would be taken against those responsible. The FIR was registered at Sahib Abad police station against four forest guards.

DPO claimed that the police vehicle had been attacked by forest guards and they also attacked the policemen but the matter was being discussed with DC and they were trying to settle it through dialogue.