ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has asked the nationals to join him in a tree plantation drive across the country on Sunday to celebrate 'Tiger Force Day' falling on August 9.
In a message on Twitter, the premier said that he has also asked the members of parliament, ministers and chief ministers to participate in the plantation drive.
Expressing hope that the drive will turn into the "biggest tree planting campaign" in history, he said: “The target is 35 lakh trees in a day, though we will try to exceed it.”
According to details, to participate in the plantation drive set for tomorrow, the volunteers have taken charge of their roles and divided into different teams to dispense their duties.
Following the prime minister’s directives, the distribution of 350,000 saplings has been completed so that they can be planted on Sunday.
Special Assistant to PM on Youth Affairs Usman Dar also sent across a message ahead of the campaign, asking opposition politicians Shehbaz Sharif, Bilawal Bhutto, Khawaja Asif and others to join the plantation drive.
“The Sindh government should [join us in] favour of national interest,” said the politician.
Dar said the prime minister will also be in the field along with other volunteers and the general public tomorrow, adding the drive will begin from Islamabad under the premier, while CM Punjab Usman Buzdar will commence it from Sialkot.
He said that civil society, district administration, Forestry department and the citizenry should work together to make the campaign successful.
PM Imran announces August 9 as Tiger Force Day
In July, PM Imran Khan had announced that August 9 will be celebrated as Tiger Force Day and a massive plantation drive would be launched across the country to combat the adverse effects of climate change.
In a broadcast message today, the prime minister said that he will personally become a part of the plantation drive.
“We have to plant 10 billion trees until 2023,” said the premier.
Calling pollution and global warming the impetus behind the plantation drive, the premier said that the volunteer force will set a record by planting the maximum number of trees.
PM Imran said that due to pollution, the health of the general public is deteriorating and it was high time to initiate a response to the problem.