MANSEHRA: Chief conservator of forest Sardar Sultan, who was suspended along with 15 other officials by Chief Minister Pervez Khattak earlier this week, has termed his suspension biased and timber mafia’s conspiracy to plunder the green gold in Hazara.

“I had dismantled 237 illegal saw-units and confined influential timber smugglers who removed me from their way to plunder the green gold,” claimed Mr Sultan while speaking to mediapersons on Friday.

Mr Khattak, on a report of secretary forest, had suspended 16 employees, including Mr Sultan, earlier this week. Mr Sultan claimed that the secretary was not a technical person and questioned his credentials to establish illegal cutting of forests in Siren valley. He said that when honest officers would be sidelined the influential timber smugglers would benefit from the situation.

Published in Dawn January 31st, 2015

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