KP Assembly members demand action over tree cutting in South Waziristan

PESHAWAR: A sharp discussion took place in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly over the cutting of trees in South Waziristan, with lawmakers calling on the provincial government to stop the activity without delay and order an inquiry into the matter.

The issue was brought before the house by Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf MPA Asif Khan Mehsud through a calling attention notice during a sitting chaired by Mohammad Israr from the panel of chairmen.

In the notice placed before the assembly, Mehsud said he wanted to draw the environment minister’s attention to large-scale tree cutting in different parts of the province, with South Waziristan facing what he described as particularly serious levels. The notice said the activity was reportedly being carried out on the grounds of addressing security threats, raising environmental and legal questions.

Speaking in the house, Mehsud said deforestation in ecologically sensitive areas could lead to soil erosion, biodiversity loss, disruption to local livelihoods and long-term climate effects. He said forests in South Waziristan were important not only for environmental balance but also as a source of natural resources for local communities.

He said it was necessary to determine whether legal requirements, environmental assessments and required approvals had been completed before such steps were taken. He also said the use of security concerns as a broad justification for extensive tree cutting should be examined to prevent misuse of authority and ensure accountability. “A detailed inquiry into the extent and legality of tree cutting activities in South Waziristan and other areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa should be conducted,” he said.

Mehsud also sought clarification from the relevant departments about the authorisation, scope and necessity of the action. He called for the immediate suspension of any unauthorised or excessive deforestation and urged the introduction of strict monitoring arrangements to stop further environmental damage.

He further demanded reforestation and afforestation programmes to offset the losses already caused to local forests and asked the authorities to act swiftly and transparently to protect natural resources and enforce environmental laws.

Lawmakers from treasury and opposition join debate

During the discussion, opposition Pakistan Peoples Party MPA Ahmad Karim Kundi said forests should be preserved in the wider interest of both the public and the environment. “Countries having frosts are earning billions of rupees in selling the carbon credits, while the PTI’s government in the province has been in ‘sleep mode’ and is not taking advantage of forests,” he said.

Kundi also said most provincial portfolios were being held by the chief minister, adding that one person could not effectively supervise so many departments at the same time. He said those responsibilities should be transferred to ministers to improve departmental performance.

MPA Sardar Shahjehan said similar issues were also present in the Hazara and Malakand regions, which also have extensive forest cover. He said the government should move to stop illegal tree cutting. He added that while afforestation efforts had been launched to improve greenery in the province, no concrete steps had been taken to protect existing forests.

MPA Hamayoun Khan said timber from the forests of Malakand and Hazara was valuable and should not be treated as fuel wood. He asked the government to take steps regarding the disposal of timber worth billions of rupees lying in the forests of Kohistan, Chitral and Malakand.

Law minister outlines legal position

Responding to the points raised by lawmakers, Law Minister Aftab Alam Khan said the settled districts had three categories of forests: reserved, guzara and protected forests, mainly located in Malakand and Hazara. “Reserved forests are fully government property, while the local communities and governments have 60-40 shares in the protected forests. The percentage is 80-20 in the guzara forest,” he said.

The minister said the situation in the merged tribal districts, especially South Waziristan, differed from the rest of the province because forests there were owned by local people. “Under the law, a local jirga system regulates forests in the respective regions,” he said.

Aftab Alam Khan supported the concern raised by the mover and said forests should not be cut in the name of security measures.

At the end of proceedings, the chair adjourned the session until next Monday.