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Tuesday March 19, 2024

‘Fight against climate change biggest jihad’

By Our Correspondent
February 22, 2018

Islamabad: The fight against climate change is the biggest jihad, said Federal Minister for Climate Change Mushahidullah Khan on Wednesday.

He was attending the plantation ceremony on Margallah Hills Trail-3 under the Green Pakistan Programme on its first anniversary. The minister planted a new tree and cut an align specie.

“Pakistan is included among countries having very less forest cover. A total of 5.01 % of the total area of Pakistan is covered with forest cover," he said. The minister said the current forest cover had many dangers that include climate change, droughts, floods, deforestation.

He said to deal with the situation, the prime minister initiated the Green Pakistan programme that was inaugurated on 9th February 2017. The minister also said the main purpose of Green Pakistan Program was to environmental protection and revival of forestry.

"Through this program, the protection of biodiversity and to grow new forests. Ministry of Climate Change of initiated Green Pakistan Program as a challenge to save our forests," he said.

The minister said the total cost of this programme was Rs4.7 billion, which would be completed in five years. He said in the next 5 years, 100 millions plants would be grown along roads, canals, increasing mangroves, revival of Guzara forests etc. He also told participants that in the last one year, 18 million plants had been grown under green Pakistan Programme.

"We have initiated Ghar Ghar Aik Shajar Awareness Campaign under which volunteer students from different universities going door to door in 10,000 homes in Islamabad and spreading awareness messages and distributing plants," he said. He also highlighted that fighting against climate change is biggest Jihad. The development process of big nations affected countries like Pakistan.

The event was attended by Parliamentary Secretary for Climate Change MNA Ms.Romeena Khursheed Alam , Secretary Ministry of Climate Change Mr.Khizer Hayat, officers of Green Pakistan Program and Forest Department, guards of wildlife Management Board and media persons.