At loggerheads: Elders decry ban on selling timber

Govt banned tree felling last month under its green and clean plan.

KOHISTAN: Elders of lower and upper Kohistan have warned of blocking Karakoram Highway from today (Saturday) if the provincial government does not allow them to sell marketable timber.

The elders have also met and informed Kohistan Deputy Commissioner Syed Muhammad Shah of their demands.

Last month, the provincial government banned tree felling under its green and clean plan which envisions planting two billion saplings in five years. Following the ban, residents of Kohistan could not sell marketable timber measuring about two million square feet, said the elders.

Addressing a grand jirga recently, local elder Noor Wali Shah said that since the area is deprived of development and livelihood opportunities, forest owners earn a living by selling trees. He added a million square feet of timber was lying on the roadside as a result of the ban.

Elders warned that if the provincial government did not issue orders to permit sale of trees already marked by the forest department, they would take to the streets from June 14 (today) and block Karakoram Highway for an indefinite period.

MPAs from Kohistan, Malik Qadam Khan, Malik Amoon and Malik Saranzeb Khan were among those who spoke at the tribal jirga. DC Shah has assured them of taking up the issue with the concerned authorities.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 14^th, 2014.