HERE in Pakistan, there is no dearth of instances where short-term gain trumps long-term benefit, often while those who are meant to take a more forward-thinking view turn a blind eye.

This is what leads to problems such as, for example, the endless encroachments on public spaces in cities.

The latest iteration of this proclivity is reported from Karachi where on Wednesday night some 600 fully grown Neem trees planted along the Superhighway between the Toll Plaza and Wadi-i-Hussain graveyard were chopped down.

The trees were planted by the Sindh Forest Department a few years ago, according to a range forest officer, and had been thriving. But commercial concerns must always triumph: a temporary cattle market is being set up in the area, and the trees had to go so that it could more easily be visible from the main road to potential customers.

In other words, an asset that could have benefited the general public for decades was without a thought given up.

A moment’s reflection upon Pakistan’s realities might throw up the idea that this is hardly surprising. But the same can possibly be said about the follow-up, which is that when the police were approached by SFD officials for registering an FIR, they agreed only to receive a complaint.

It would perhaps be a small matter were it not for the fact that this pattern of waging a war against greenery is amongst the more insidious, yet little remarked upon issues in Pakistan.

Whether it is the city administration chopping down trees in Lahore for the Canal Road widening project, or the timber mafia doing the same and by degrees denuding the country’s forests, the practice is widespread.

The way out of the situation is simple — at least on paper: raise awareness amongst the citizenry and law enforcers, enhance the capacities of the latter, and keep watch on the consequences of climate change. Straightforward remedies, but seemingly far-fetched in the context of Pakistan.

Published in Dawn, August 6th, 2016