Residents of district Chitral on Wednesday held a protest demonstration against the illegal cutting of trees in Chitral valley and asked the Pakistan Tehrek-e-Insaf (PTI) government to take notice of the issue otherwise they would be compelled to launch a series of protest demonstrations across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The protesting demonstrators gathered at Sher Shah Suri road opposite Cantonment Railway Station. Holding placards and banners inscribed with different slogans in favour of their demands. Maulana Abdul Akbar Chitrali, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) central leader and former member national assembly who was leading the annoyed demonstrators while talking to reporters criticized the PTI government for excessive merciless cutting of forests in Chitral. He alleged that government officials under a well-plane conspiracy had started the deforestation in Chitral, aimed to bestow certain blue-eyed.
He said that incumbent provincial government started imposing the 'Indus Kohistan Policy' in district Chitral and allowed ruthless cutting of forests in tehsil Drowsh and tehsil Chitral. He warned if the cutting of forests remained with the same pace, soon Arandu, Drowsh and Chitral tehsil will even have not the name of forest.
Despite the difference of Forest department, he said the imposition of Indus Policy in Chitral is open corruption and meant to bestow a group of certain blue-eyed of PTI. He also revealed that these blue-eyed persons of PTI hail from district Chitral, Dir and Peshawar.
He said that under the Indus Policy One lakh cubic feet timber has been transported from Arandu to Barwal and thousands of cubic feet are laying in the godowns in Drowsh, while cutting is still continuing, he added. He urged the government to take stern legal action against the timber mafia and confiscate the illegal timber and impose heavy fine upon the contractors, aimed to stop deforestation and save the future of the nation.
Abdul Akbar Chitrali said that PTI central chairman Imran Khan at one hand raise a slogan of billion trees tsunami while on the other hand his own party led government has started merciless cutting of forests in various parts of Chitral. He urged Imran Khan to take notice of the ruthless cutting of forests in natural calamities hit district Chitral, expose the timber mafia under the cover of certain strong elements in the provincial government, and save the future of living creation.
He also warned if Imran Khan and the Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa failed to stop the ongoing deforestation in Chitral then Chitrali people would be compelled to launch a movement against the government and for the protection of forests.