ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The Prime Minister’s Advisor on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam Khan has said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government will pursue zero tolerance policy against timber mafia and no one will be allowed to cut even a single tree from Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) in the future.
While addressing media persons during his site visit at Attaturk Avenue in Islamabad on Tuesday, the advisor said that we are constantly monitoring tree plantation across Embassy Road (Attaturk Avenue) and the Capital Development Authority (CDA) will furnish its progress report regarding tree plantation to the Ministry of Climate Change every quarter regularly.
Amin Aslam said that in 2017, when tree cutting issue was reported by Rauf Klasra in his talk show, the PTI robustly protested this nefarious act of tree cutting on Embassy Road. Subsequently, the Supreme Court of Pakistan took the cognizance and summoned CDA through a sue moto action.
CDA has so far planted 4160 trees at Attaturk Avenue: Amin Aslam
The advisor said that CDA took the plea that they have uprooted the trees in accordance with the master plan of expansion of Ataturk Road while Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) submitted its “environmental impact assessment” report and protested this deforestation.
Malik Amin Aslam Khan said that then CDA committed to plant 2.5 million trees in lieu of these 197 uprooted trees, on the road sides of embassy road and they were also barred to further cut any tree by the court.
The prime minister’s advisor said that CDA has planted 4160 trees so for. He said that the ministry would continue close monitoring of the site till completion of the commitment of plantation of 2.5 million trees and CDA is bound to submit its quarterly report to the ministry.
