PSP cuts trees in Karachi as part of its election campaign

KARACHI: Police and cantonment authorities in Defence Housing Authority (DHA) have launched separate investigations into the cutting of several fully grown trees in Sea view Block 58, residents and officials said on Thursday.

The decisions to initiate the probes were taken after a female activist of the Pak Sarzameen Party got the trees chopped down allegedly for holding a corner meeting of the party, they said.

The incident occurred on Wednesday morning when residents saw several trees being illegally felled in their backyards by private persons. No permission had been obtained from the Cantonment Board Clifton (CBC) to remove the trees.

It was not the first such incident where a political party was found involved in cutting trees as part of their electioneering, as earlier in the month, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement had got several fully grown trees chopped in Gulistan-e-Jauhar’s Block 15 to make their newly-established party office visible from the road. Faisal Sabzwari had defended the act, saying they were only cutting Conocarpus trees.

“I heard some noise and when I looked out from my balcony, I saw some men cutting down fully grown trees in our backyard. I asked them why they were cutting down these trees and they said they had been tasked by our neighbouring lady, Humaira, to cut these trees,” Mrs Marium, a resident of Sea View Block 58, told The News on Thursday.

Other residents also gathered at the scene and intervened to save the trees, but the PSP female activist threatened them with dire consequences, and told the workers involved in the cutting of trees to continue their work, said the complainants.