PESHAWAR: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has started a probe into illegal cutting of trees in the forest of Chitral and Upper Kohistan districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Although the PTI, which is ruling the province since 2013, reports suggest the practice of irreparable damage to the forests are common.
It is against the very claims made by the party leadership to promote tourism and protect the environment. The Billion Tree Tsunami scandal is an example.
DEODAR AND CHIR PINE ARE THE TARGET
Astonishingly, the magnitude of the latest episode is massive, with a Forest Department survey confirming 1.7 million cubic feet of wood being involved in the matter. It translates into billions of rupees.
Meanwhile, these were deodar and chir pine trees that became a target of the timber mafia.
WHAT DID REALLY HAPPEN
Documents available with HUM News English show that officials presented these facts before a provincial cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur.
Read more: KP in flames: 1,000+ forest fires ravage 10,200ha in four years
The climate change, forests and environment secretary informed the participants that the illegal activity was carried out in the 2010-24 period.
He also said that multiple committees had suggested confiscating the illegal cut trees and imposing hefty fines on culprits, but none those were implemented.
According to the provincial secretary, the August 2024 survey revealed that the illegally cut wood in Chitral was 1,451,585 cubic feet and 253216 cubic feet in the case of Upper Kohistan. They have shared the details with the country’s top anti-graft body because it has started an investigation into the matter.
OPTIONS
When it comes to dealing with this wood, he proposed confiscation and selling the same through the Forest Development Corporation with the generated funds to be spent on the welfare of local population.
After consultations, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cabinet formed a committee headed by the advisor on anti-corruption to make decision on the option of Forest Development Corporation.
Illegal cutting of forests is a serious problem everywhere in the world, but it needs attention at the highest level in Pakistan.
The reason is simple: Pakistan has scarce forests. With the country among those worst affected by climate change, the illegal tree cutting only makes it much difficult to tackle extreme weather and soil erosion.