Unchecked deforestation in Chitral protested

PESHAWAR: The residents of Chitral on Wednesday staged a protest against the unchecked deforestation in the district and asked the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government to take notice of the issue or else they would be compelled to intensify the campaign.

Holding placards and banners inscribed with different slogans in favour of their demands, the protesters gathered at Sher Shah Suri Road opposite the Cantonment Railway Station.

Talking to reporters here, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) leader and former member National Assembly Maulana Abdul Akbar Chitrali, who led the demonstrators, criticised the PTI government for cutting forests in Chitral.

He alleged that the deforestation had been started in Chitral to oblige certain blue-eyed persons.The JI leader said the government had started implementing the ‘Indus-Kohistan Policy’ in Chitral and allowed ruthless cutting of forests in Drosh and Chitral tehsils.

He said Arandu, Drosh and Chitral tehsils would lose forests if the felling of trees continued at the same pace.The Maulana said the imposition of ‘Indus Kohistan Policy’ in Chitral was meant to oblige a group of certain blue-eyed persons from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

The former MNA alleged the blue-eyed persons hailed from Chitral, Dir and Peshawar.“Under the policy one lakh cubic feet timber has been transported from Arandu to Barwal and thousands of cubic feet are laying in the godowns in Drosh,” he went to add.He urged the government to take legal action against the timber mafia and confiscate the illegal timber and impose heavy fine on the contractors to stop deforestation.