Islamabad: Federal Minister for Climate Change, Senator Mushahidullah Khan Monday said “Diversity of landscapes and climates in Pakistan allow a wide variety of trees and animals to flourish.”
Addressing the launching ceremony of Green Pakistan Stamp on first anniversary of Green Pakistan Programme, the minister said that tress and animals suffer due to increasing population and climate change.
He said that share of public investment through federal and provincial governments was quite low. Resultantly, efforts made towards mitigation, do not commensurate with the rate of deterioration occurring in natural resources of the country.
He further added Prime Minister of Pakistan expressed serious concern on high rate of deforestation and rapid decrease in wildlife population of the country. Accordingly, the Green Pakistan Programme for reviving forestry and wildlife resources in the country started on 9 February, 2017. He also said the program on Revival of Forest Resources has an estimated cost of Rs3.652 billion, whereas that on wildlife is Rs1.065billion.
Since a large scale national program has been launched on making the country green hence it required commemoration at national level. He highlighted that inauguration of commemorative stamp mark the completion of one year of the Green Pakistan Programme.
The 300,000 stamps printed on the occasion will be distributed within and outside the country by postal service of Pakistan. It will give a softer image of Pakistan to the international community. He also highlighted that Climate change is a very grave issue that requires awareness among masses.
From today "Ghar Ghar Aik Shajar a door to door plantation campaign has been launched to create awareness among masses. On the occasion, the Inspector General Forest Syed Mehmood Nasir highlighted that Green Pakistan Programme was playing an active role in increasing forest cover of Pakistan.
It is a great initiative to combat climate change. The postal representative said that these commemorative stamps will be sent to embassies and International postal union.
The ceremony was attended by Parliamentary Secretary to Climate Change Romeena Khursheed Alam officers of postal department, forestry, Green Pakistan Programme, Dr. Ghulam Rasool. Green Pakistan Programme was inaugurated on February 9, 2017 by former Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif by planting a tree at Prime Minister office. The first anniversary was celebrated by planting a tree at Prime Minister office on February 9, 2018.