Owners urge govt to lift ban on forest cutting

MINGORA: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Forest Owners Association, Malakand division, on Sunday threatened to launch agitation if the ban imposed on the cutting of forests was not lifted forthwith.

“Imposing a ban on cutting of trees in our own forests even under scientific forest management is an injustice to us,” Allauddin Khan said while addressing a press conference here.Flanked by dozens of owners and office-bearers of association from various parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including Ajmal Khan, Khanzada Khan, Muhammad Raiz, Abdur Rauf and others, Allauddin Khan said the Minister Climate Change, Forestry, Environment and Wildlife Department through a notification issued in June this year had imposed a ban on all sorts of harvesting throughout the province.

“We don’t follow this notification and if the government doesn’t withdraw it, we would continue to cut trees under scientific forest management and sell it privately,” he vowed.The owners said that there was no justification for imposing a ban on private forests.They said that they were cutting the trees under the scientific management policy of the government to earn livelihood for their families.They threatened to stage sit-ins outside the Chief Minister’s House and Governors’ House in Peshawar if their demands were not met forthwith.