ISLAMABAD: Higher educational institutions functioning in the federal capital will fully implement the government’s initiative to make the country clean and green by taking active part in its tree plantation drive.

Talking to this news agency, Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) Vice Chancellor Dr Javed Ashraf said the university had already launched a campaign and planted thousands of trees.

Appreciating the step taken by the government, he offered his full support to the government to achieve the plantation target.

He said the QAU Alumni was also planting different kind of trees within the university jurisdiction.

Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) Vice Chancellor Dr Shahid Siddiqui said the university would join the nation in Plant for Pakistan drive next week by planting 1,000 of fragrant flowers at its main campus.

“We welcome the drive inaugurated by Prime Minister Imran Khan and wish to have a leading role in making it successful,” he said.

The AIOU had also undertaken a monsoon plantation drive last month in collaboration with the Punjab Forest Department and the Friends of Environment Islamabad, an NGO, he added.

National University of Science and Technology (Nust) Pro-Rector Planning and Resource retired Maj Gen Jahangir Khan said they had organised a tree plantation drive to increase the green cover by planting 1,000 saplings at its main campus.

This campaign, he said, was part of the ongoing green Pakistan programme initiated to encourage students to plant trees for creating awareness about benefits of forests and increase forest cover in cities.

The plantation of around 1,000 trees will go a long way in making Nust environment friendly and carbon neutral university, he added.

He said Nust had aligned its green efforts with the government’s policy to overcome environmental pollution, and was striving to play its part in raising awareness among the citizens through various initiatives.

International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI) Rector Dr Masoom Yasinzai said the university had planted 1,335 saplings at its main campus.

The saplings included olive, pine, sukh chain (pongamia pinnata) and alstonia.

Comsats University Islamabad (CUI) has also launched an adopt-a-tree plantation campaign under which over 20,000 trees of various species will be planted at sites specified by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) as well as at the CUI campuses in Abbottabad, Wah, Lahore, Sahiwal, Attock and Vehari.

CUI Rector Prof Dr Raheel Qamar committed to looking after the planted saplings for two years to ensure that they become healthy trees.

Published in Dawn, September 5th, 2018