KHAR: The forest department on Saturday launched a scheme to encourage community forestry in the region by giving 300,000 free saplings to the locals.

The scheme was inaugurated by conservator forest Fata Abdul Baseer Khan during a ceremony organised by the local forest department here.

Tribal elders, farmers and officials of forest department and local administration attended the ceremony.

Speaking on the occasion, Baseer Khan said the scheme was part of the federal government-sponsored ‘Green Pakistan Programme’.

He was of the view that promotion of community forestry was necessary to boost forest cover in the tribal areas.

According to him, community forestry was an integral part of forestation in the world, especially in the developed countries, where hundreds of millions of people depended on forests for their livelihoods and culture.

However, he said the community forestry had not been promoted properly in Pakistan in general and the tribal areas in particular owing to lack of awareness.

Mr Khan said community forestry helped improve the socioeconomic condition of people and control climate change. He said under the scheme a total of 300,000 saplings would be provided to the locals in the current plantation season.

The official said different kind of fruit plants would also be given to the residents. He asked the officials to ensure transparency in distribution of plants, adding strict action would be taken against the officials if any irregularity was found in the scheme.

Divisional forest officer, Bajaur, Hayat Ali Khan said the department would plant more than 500,000 saplings during the upcoming plantation drive in the agency. He added two million saplings had been planted during the last two years.

TRIBESMEN JOIN PTI: Scores of tribesmen in Mamond tehsil on Saturday announced to join Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf.

They made the decision at a public meeting organised by PTI local chapter at Gabari area, along the Pak-Afghan border.

Speaking on the occasion, PTI local chapter president Dr Khalilur Rahman and others said the party was struggling to bring social justice system in the country. They claimed that PTI was the only party whose leadership was free of any corruption charges.

The speakers flayed the local lawmakers and the political administration for ignoring the remote areas of Mamond in development schemes.

Published in Dawn, February 4th, 2018