Govt urged to take notice of deforestation in Chitral district

PESHAWAR: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) leader and former Member National Assembly Maulana Abdul Akbar Chitrali Saturday alleged that the government officials under a conspiracy started deforestation in Chitral to benefit their favourites.

Addressing a news conference at the Peshawar Press Club on Saturday, Abdul Akbar Chitrali said that incumbent provincial government had allowed ruthless cutting of forests in tehsil Drosh and tehsil Chitral. He warned that if the cutting of forests continued at the same pace, Arandu, Drosh and Chitral tehsil will lose forests.

He said that under the Indus Policy, 100,000 cubic feet timber has been transported from Arandu to Barawal and thousands of cubic feet are lying in the godowns in Drosh, he added.

He urged the government to take stern legal action against the timber mafia and confiscate the illegal timber and impose heavy fine upon the contractors.

Maulana Abdul Akbar said that PTI chief Imran Khan had launched the billion trees tsunami while his own party-led government had started merciless cutting of forests in various parts of Chitral.

He urged Imran Khan to take notice of the ruthless cutting of forests in Chitral, expose the timber mafia and save the future of people.

He also warned that if Imran Khan and the chief minister failed to stop the ongoing deforestation in Chitral, local people would be compelled to launch a movement for the protection of forests.