PESHAWAR, Aug 2: The Youth Welfare Society for Protection of Forests, Upper Dir, has asked the government to involve the inhabitants of forest areas in finalizing the draft of the NWFP forest ordinance and provincial forest policy.

Society spokesman Amir Mohammad Khan said the forestry sector reforms were aimed at involving the stakeholders, especially the forest owners, in the process of evolving a durable policy.

However, he regretted in a statement on Friday, at the time of formulating the national forest policy last year the stakeholders were ignored. The provincial government, he added, had also finalized the draft forest ordinance and was working on the provincial forest policy, but the stakeholders had not been taken into confidence.

He said the society was active in Lamotai, Gawaldai and Kalkot forest areas of Dir, working for the protection of forest areas from deforestation.