GILGIT: Authorities in the Additional District of Gupis-Yasin of Gilgit-Baltistan have come under sharp criticism after they cut down hundreds of trees during an “anti-encroachment operation”, drawing anger from residents who termed the move environmentally damaging.
Residents said that over a thousand trees, which they described as “the lungs of the valley,” were felled without prior notice.
Karim Shah Nizari, a mountain guide and climate activist, said the local administration had committed a “serious legal violation” by cutting down trees outside the designated road boundaries.
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“The government has paid for and fixed a 22-foot-wide limit as the official jurisdiction. Any action beyond that, especially on private property, is highly unlawful and unacceptable. I surveyed the road yesterday. Only one tree was within the 22-foot-wide limit, while the rest stood 30 to 40 feet away,” he told HUM News English.
He alleged that the administration was cutting around 100 trees daily, with more than 1,000 already felled. “It is a standard procedure that when authorities notice an encroachment, a written notice is issued before taking action. But the Yasin administration bypassed legal SOPs,” he said.
Nizari added that some of the trees were 50 to 60 years old, while the rest were more than a decade old, yet were removed even though they did not fall under the definition of encroachment.
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“Around the world people grow trees along roadsides for shade, but here they are cutting them down,” he said, adding that when they approached the Gilgit-Baltistan Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the matter was referred to the forest department, which in turn referred it back to the EPA.
Legal notice served on AC, Tehsildar
Meanwhile, a legal notice has been served on Assistant Commissioner Yasin and the Tehsildar over the felling of trees. The notice, issued by Advocate Raja Jehangir Khan on behalf of affected residents, termed the operation “unauthorized, illegal and unlawful,” claiming it violated the constitutional rights of landowners under Articles 23 and 24 of the Constitution.
The notice said that fruit-bearing and historically significant trees were cut in Yasin Manich and Yasin Proper, without lawful authority or compensation. It demanded immediate cessation of further cutting, compensation for losses, and disclosure of official justification. The administration has been given seven days to respond, failing which legal proceedings would be initiated.
Assistant Commissioner (AC) Yasin, Atifullah Khan, however, rejected the criticism, saying the drive was not aimed at cutting trees but removing encroachments.
“Road expansion and recarpeting is being carried out, and trees that had not been removed for several years were felled. They were not only disrupting traffic but also obstructing electricity transmission. People whose trees were removed are terming it an operation against trees, but in reality, it is an operation against encroachment,” he said.
He added that the road’s width had been fixed at 28 feet and residents were informed to remove trees falling within this limit, but they failed to comply.
The AC said that compensation had already been paid to owners of affected trees at the time of road expansion, but since the trees were not removed for a long period, the administration had now launched the operation.
“In the first phase, trees have been removed from Murka bridge to the rest house, while in the second phase, the operation will continue from the rest house to Sultanabad,” he said, adding that trees standing along link roads and water channels would also be removed to clear encroachments.
Atifullah Khan maintained that the felled trees were not part of natural forests but had been planted on roads, and therefore their removal would not cause significant environmental damage.
EPA Director Khadim Hussain distanced his department from the matter, saying it fell under the jurisdiction of the Forest Department.
“If a government road is encroached by tree plantation and it requires clearance, then the district administration takes action. But if there is no encroachment or illegal activity and trees on private property are still cut, then it becomes an illegal act,” he told HUM News English. He added that such disputes should be taken up with the deputy commissioner, who also heads the district conservation committee.