ISLAMABAD: Serious concerns over massive tree felling in the federal capital reverberated in the Senate as lawmakers warned that unchecked destruction of green cover posed a grave threat to Islamabad’s environmental future. The issue was raised ahead of a key meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Climate Change, where deforestation has been placed high on the agenda amid growing public outrage.

Raising a point of order, Senator Barrister Syed Ali Zafar expressed deep alarm over the large scale cutting of trees in various parts of Islamabad. He stressed that trees are the primary source of oxygen and form an essential part of the fundamental right to a clean and healthy environment. He cautioned that continued deforestation would have irreversible consequences for climate resilience, air quality and public health.

The senator highlighted tree cutting in the Shakarparian area, where authorities claim only paper mulberry trees were removed, a claim strongly contested by citizens. He also pointed to felling in H 8 during monument construction and in Chak Shahzad for a housing society road allegedly built without public hearing or environmental impact assessment. He rejected the allergy related justification, saying mulberry trees had largely been removed long ago.

Barrister Zafar said satellite imagery and Google maps clearly showed once green areas stripped of tree cover, raising suspicions of links to housing schemes and commercial interests. Calling the situation alarming, he demanded a transparent report detailing who authorised the cutting, which areas were affected and for what purpose, insisting parliament be taken into confidence.

Responding, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry maintained that Islamabad’s green texture was not being damaged. He said only paper mulberry trees were cut due to serious health hazards, adding that these plantations began in the 1970s without studies on their impact.

The minister said cutting began in 2024 under court orders and was later backed by a commission. He claimed 26000 trees were felled with a three to one plantation ratio, adding that 46000 trees had already been planted in F 9 Park and replacement plantations were underway elsewhere.