Minister calls for national fight against forests’ foes

ISLAMABAD: Climate Change Minister Mushahidullah Khan on Thursday said that it is necessary to motivate the forest officers and provide government protection at all levels to enable them protect and conserve forests in the country.

He called for a nationwide fight against foes of the forests, which are illegally gulping the forests for their own benefit without caring that such evil acts would only add to the existing environmental degradation in the country.

“Forests are a must for healthy living and environmental sustainability,” the minister said at the Holy Family Hospital in Rawalpindi after visiting and consoling the injured senior forest officer and two of his guards.

Environment expert and PML-N’s MNA Marriyum Aurangzeb, the inspector general of forest and other senior officials of the ministry were also present.

The senior forest officer Irshadullah Gondal, along with his three subordinates, was brutally injured on the night of June 27 by Unsif Almaroof and his 21-member illegal loggers gang.

In an illegal logging operation, the forest team led by Gondal intercepted a tractor-trolley loaded with logs of precious trees worth Rs 300,000, which was illegally chopped in the state-owned Ghoon forest in Tehsil Kahuta.

Gondal and two other forest officials are presently under medical treatment at the Holy Family Hospital.

An FIR has been registered with the Kahuta sub-district police but none of the arrests have taken place so far.

The federal minister expressed serious concern over the savage assault on the forest officials by the enemies of forests and environment. He urged the Punjab forest minister to play his part in bringing the culprits to book and make them face exemplary punishment.

Mushahidullah also urged the Punjab forest minister and secretary to announce certificates of appreciation/bravery and cash prizes for the injured forest officials and said, “Such moves will motivate other forest officials to stand guard for fast depleting forest resources against the forest mafia.”

Meanwhile, the minister said that the country’s existing forest resources are at serious risk of vanishing because of greedy forest mafia, which has gulped forests for their personal economic gains at the cost of environment. However, those forest officials, who are foiling illegal tree-cutting bids anywhere in the country should be praised and awarded as a part of recognition of their priceless services to the environment, he added.

On the occasion, Marriyum Aurangzeb said, “Enemies of the forests are in fact the enemies of our environment. We must stop them from chopping down the trees illegally otherwise the day is not far away when Pakistan will be completely denuded of forests, which will aggravate environmental degradation and public health.”

The MNA said she would extend every possible support to the climate change ministry in protecting and conserving the existing forests in the country and increasing the tree cover as much as possible for sustainable living of our present coming generations.

Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk

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