Observer Report
Islamabad
The Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP) on Tuesday took notice and sought details from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government’s Billion Tree Tsunami project in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
A two-member bench comprising Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed and Justice Ijaz ul Ahsan, hearing a case pertaining to tree plantation near rivers and canals, has also summoned the secretary of climate change and issued contempt of court notices to Sindh and Punjab governments over failure to submit a report on the matter.
“There are no trees in Nathia Gali, Malam Jabba, and even Murree,” observed the top judge, questioning the Billion Tree Tsunami project.
He remarked that the Islamabad administration boasts planting 500,000 trees but they are nowhere to be seen. “You must have planted all the trees in Bani Gala. Trees are being cut down in Islamabad. Crooked trees have been planted on Kashmir Highway. There is no beauty in the trees planted,” he remarked.There are no trees planted along the rivers from Islamabad to Karachi. There are no trees in Peshawar and there is deforestation going on in Nathia Gali.”
The apex court also ordered the Sindh government to plant trees along lakes and highways.
The chief justice remarked that the affairs of the Sindh government were beyond comprehension, adding that “Sindh is the only province whose affairs are run in a different way.”
CJP Justice Gulzar called for not paying travel and dearness allowances to officials who came from Sindh, adding that contempt of court notices would be issued to officers, and once received, the officers will lose their jobs and be sent to jail.
Addressing the K-P environment secretary, the chief justice said that the entire K-P environment department are thieves, “and you are the head of the department..you should be sent straight to jail,” he stated. “Naran Kaghan has become a heap of garbage. There are no trees around lakes and thousands of trees have been cut down in Kumrat.
