ISLAMABAD (APP): The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Climate Change and Environmental Coordination has called for the use of satellite imagery to verify official claims of improved forest cover in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), amid concerns that timber smuggling and unchecked deforestation remain serious threats.
Chaired by MNA Munaza Hassan, the Committee met here on Monday to review deforestation trends and the government’s response to timber mafia activities.
While provincial officials painted an optimistic picture, lawmakers questioned the accuracy of their reports and pressed for stronger monitoring and enforcement mechanisms.
“The committee cannot rely solely on rosy figures. Independent verification through SUPARCO satellite imagery is necessary to confirm what is happening on the ground,” members observed during the meeting.
The Secretary of Environment, KP, briefed the Committee that the province’s forest cover had improved according to third-party assessments, citing the seizure of 2.3 million cubic feet of illegally harvested timber and over 360 vehicles used in smuggling operations.
But members raised concerns about the absence of a fire protection system and persistent mafia operations in remote forest areas.
Officials from Gilgit-Baltistan acknowledged that while forest land was now relatively stable, major degradation occurred during the 1980s due to sectarian conflict and a breakdown in law and order.
They urged constitutional guarantees for forest protection and sought federal assistance in digital monitoring.
The Committee also expressed alarm over reports of hotel construction at Attabad Lake in violation of regulations. GB representatives assured members that such hotels were being closed and new construction was banned.
The AJK Forest Department reported a 10 percent increase in forest cover, citing International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) studies, and confirmed that all commercial logging was banned.
However, members warned that timber smuggling, particularly of Deodar and Fir wood, continues to strip the region’s mountains.
The Secretary of Climate Change informed the Committee that a national GIS (Geographic Information System) for forests would soon be established, providing a digital platform to track deforestation and illegal logging.
Chairperson Munaza Hassan welcomed the plans but stressed accountability. “It is encouraging to see initiatives taking shape, but oversight and transparency are essential if we are to truly protect Pakistan’s forests,” she said.
The meeting was attended by MNAs Mir Khan Muhammad Jamali, Shaista Khan, Syeda Shehla Raza, Mussarat Rafique Mahesar, Rana Ansar, Ayesha Nazir (virtually), and Shahida Rahmani, alongside senior officials from KP, GB, AJK, and the Ministry of Climate Change.
