The Lahore High Court (LHC) was informed here on Monday that 6320 Kanals forestland in Murree has been recovered from illegal occupants while the operation is underway for recovering rest of the land. These facts were submitted by Secretary Forest Department Azam Suleman Khan before the Chief Justice, LHC, during the hearing of suo motu proceedings against grabbing of 15,000 Kanals prime forestland in Murree.
CJ directed the secretary to register cases against land grabbers as they had committed criminal offence and apprise the court by March 3 about the progress in the ongoing operation. CJ Khawaja Muhammad Sharif had initiated suo motu proceedings on a news item published in a section of press.
CJ had remarked that Pakistan is already facing deforestation threats and has very low ratio of forest as compared to world standard. To protect environment country needs more forests that also guarantee human salvation. It is the foremost duty of all state functionaries and citizens to safeguard this God gifted treasure. As per details, authorities have found 15,000 Kanals of reserved forestland worth tens of billions of rupees has been encroached and even the Punjab Chief Minister seemed to be ineffective.