GILGIT: The government of Gilgit-Baltistan is pushing to implement a controversial 30-year forest working plan in the private forests of Diamer district, using data that dates back nearly three decades, despite objections from the Forest and Wildlife Department and raising concerns among activists.
The proposed plan, which is based on data collected in the 1990s, threatens to exploit approximately 40 million cubic feet of forest timber, potentially leading to the felling of up to 700,000 trees.
In 2022, Former Forest and Wildlife Department Secretary Sumair Ahmed identified around 18 shortcomings in the plan and made eight proposals, the majority of which have been ignored.
According to the documents available with HUM News English, the data collection process conducted between 1993 and 1998 has not been updated for 25 years, rendering it obsolete given potential changes in forest growth and conditions. Further examination reveals that essential scientific methods, such as systematic or stratified sampling, were not employed, raising questions about the accuracy of the forest stock assessments.
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Under current legal frameworks, the forests in Diamer are classified as private, with ownership vested in local communities as per the Accession Deed of 1952 and subsequent regulations, including the Gilgit Private Forest Regulation of 1970 and the GB Forest Act of 2019. However, forest management and regulatory oversight fall under the jurisdiction of the Gilgit-Baltistan government through its Forest Department.
These forests were previously subject to regulated harvesting under various working schemes. In 1993, the federal government imposed a nationwide ban on green tree felling, halting commercial operations. A brief period of permitted logging occurred in 2000 but ceased within two years. Despite subsequent timber disposal policies, large quantities of timber have remained unsold or unutilized.
In 2013, directives led by the then prime minister called for the creation of a comprehensive management plan for legal harvesting based on scientific principles. This resulted in the G-B Forest Department’s revision of the outdated 2001-2010 plan, extending its duration to 30 years. The GB Council approved the revised plan in 2017, stipulating that implementation could only proceed once existing stocks of legal and illegal timber were disposed of.
Sources indicate that Chief Minister Haji Gulbar Khan, who is from Diamer, has taken a personal interest in the plan’s implementation and is pushing for swift results.
The plan’s reliance on outdated volume tables from Punjab, rather than updated local tables prepared by the Pakistan Forest Institute in 2015, undermines its accuracy. The use of unconventional diameter class intervals and the absence of stand and stock tables further weaken the plan’s foundation. According to documents, some compartments have less than the standard volume per acre but are still allocated for felling, which goes against the principles of the working plan.
Roshan Din Daimeri, a journalist and activist from Diamer, criticized the government’s approach, stating, “The Gilgit-Baltistan government is pursuing a controversial and potentially illegal working plan for the Diamer forests. According to my sources, the government is attempting to manage the forests using outdated data from the 1990s, which is insufficient for current conditions.”
He claimed that in 2021, a survey report using modern GIS technology was prepared but was rejected by Chief Minister Haji Gulbar Khan, who deemed it flawed.
“Subsequently, a new team was assembled, including individuals facing forest-related cases with the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). This team was instructed to conduct a new survey. Despite the Forest Department’s subsequent surveys using advanced GIS techniques, the use of GIS was reportedly prohibited again, fueling concerns that the government may be working to benefit specific vested interests,” Daimeri said.
According to sources, under the directives of the CM, two retired forest officers were hired to lead the team, bypassing established rules and procedures.
According to Diameri, the government is reportedly altering the pre-set annual felling schedule to suit its preferences. Compartments originally scheduled for cutting in 2030 or 2040 have now been moved to 2025, disrupting the systematic sequence and posing a threat to sustainable forest management.
Furthermore, he said the government has insisted on using outdated volume tables previously approved in the old working plan, rather than the scientifically updated tables developed specifically for Gilgit-Baltistan. These modern tables, created by scientists using advanced methodologies, indicate that the desired timber volume could be obtained with fewer trees cut. The insistence on using older tables may lead to excessive tree cutting, disproportionately benefiting timber mafias.
“These actions suggest potential collusion between government officials and timber mafias, posing serious threats to the preservation of Diamer’s forests. If continued, these practices risk irreversible harm to the environment, endanger local biodiversity, and undermine ecological security for future generations,” he added.