SWAT: All the stakeholders, including the government and private sectors, students, civil society activists, traders and the common people, have been asked to take active part in the ongoing tree plantation drive across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to make the province clean and green.

Speaking at a seminar in Swat on Monday to raise awareness about tree plantation, social and environmental activists vowed to make the valley green again by taking active part in the upcoming plantation drive.

The seminar was organised by a private entity, Green Pakistan Movement.

Swat forest officer Mohammad Waseem, religious scholar Maulana Sadiq Ahmad, educationist Syed Munawar Shah, social activists and students participated.

“We have a target to plant more than 100,000 saplings this year with the help of youth and civil society members. We will also assist the forest department in the upcoming drive,” Naeem Khan, head of the Green Pakistan Movement, said.

Maulana Sadiq said: “As a human being it is our responsibility to not only save trees but also plant more.”

The speakers said efforts must be made to save the existing trees.

Forest officer Mr Waseem said during the current year the government planned to plant one million saplings in Swat, adding the forest department would provide free saplings to people.

In Mansehra, deputy commissioner Dr Qasim Ali Khan said the district administration had adopted a multipronged strategy to achieve target of the ongoing plantation drive, under which so far around a million saplings had been planted across the district.

Talking to reporters after planting a sapling at the district food controller’s offices on Monday, he said his administration had divided the ongoing plantation drive into five components based on different ideas to get involved schoolchildren, NGOs, women and even tourists.

In Shangla, assistant commissioner Khuram Rehman Jadoon on Monday launched a three-day plantation drive in Maira area of Bisham.

Talking to mediapersons, he said over 13,000 saplings of different species would be planted across Bisham during the drive.

He asked the locals, volunteers and social activists to actively take part in the plantation drive.

Published in Dawn, February 16th, 2021