Pakistan cuts down 29,000+ trees, govt defends move citing health concerns

Islamabad (The Uttam Hindu): More than 29,000 trees were cut down in Pakistan's capital, Islamabad. The incident sparked widespread uproar in Parliament on Tuesday. The opposition claims the rulers are depriving the capital of its "lungs," while government representatives claim the measures are unhealthy.

The prominent media outlet Dawn reported this. State Minister for Interior, Talal Chaudhry, informed the National Assembly that 29,115 trees had been removed from the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT). He clarified that more trees would be planted in their place in the coming months.

Earlier, Ali Muhammad Khan of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and Shazia Marri of PPP raised the issue of tree cutting in Islamabad.

Ali said that if the Home Ministry, Islamabad administration or the Ministry of Climate Change had cut the trees “after taking the citizens of Islamabad into confidence”, there would not have been any distrust.

“The trees you cut were the lungs of Islamabad,” the MP said. Ali questioned that if only paper mulberry trees were being removed, why were “50 to 60-year-old trees” also removed?

Murri also expressed his party's concern over the "large-scale tree felling in Islamabad." He said, "Reports are coming in from various areas that thousands of trees are being cut down. Even if you are justifying it by saying that a particular species of tree is harmful to the environment, why are they running away from accountability?"

Murree demanded the "real truth" and data on the tree planting being done to compensate for this. He suggested that the matter be referred to the NA's Climate Change Standing Committee for further debate.

The issue has been a topic of discussion in Islamabad for the past few days, with even ordinary citizens protesting. Following this, Dr. Musadik Malik, Minister for Climate Change and Environment Coordination, claimed on Friday that approximately 29,000 paper mulberry trees were cut down under a Supreme Court order issued between 2023 and 2025.

These trees were causing allergies and health problems, leading to a surge in hospitalizations. The minister said at a high-level meeting that three new saplings or trees would be planted for every tree cut, so the city's green belt would not be affected.

The plan will also plant mature native trees to increase the total green cover, accelerating environmental recovery. The action has drawn strong public and civil society reactions. The issue has been hotly debated on social media for the past few days, with people protesting the large-scale tree cutting.