MANSEHRA: People of Torghar district on Friday urged the provincial government to restore the local forests’ protective status and allow them to chop down trees to use as firewood and construction activities.

“The government changed our tribal status to a settled district in 2011 and took possession of forests owned by local tribes the next year but the act is unacceptable to us at any cost,” resident Shahnawaz Khan told reporters in district headquarters Judbah.

Accompanied by a group of local tribesmen, Mr Khan, a PTI leader, said over 90 per cent of the local population depended on agriculture and forests.

He, however, said the government reclassified Guzara jungles (community-owned wastelands) as protective forests, depriving them of the right to cut down trees for firewood, housing, and other construction purposes.

Urge govt to restore forests’ protective status

“Our district is highly underdeveloped, lacking health, education, and natural gas facilities. In such cold weather, imposing a ban on chopping down trees is threatening out lives,” he said.

Mr Khan said the residents were striving to ensure restoration of the forests’ current protective status to their previous protective wasteland (Guzara jungle) classification.

“The Peshawar High Court’s Abbottabad Circuit Bench ordered the chief secretary last year to implement the provincial cabinet’s decision about reversing the protective forest status to protective wasteland within three months. However, the orders have yet to be implemented,” he said.

He added that forests in Mansehra district were owned by local tribes as community property and could not be handed over to the government.

“The case is now with the cabinet for decision,” he said, urging the chief minister to ensure early resolution of the issue.

HELD: Police have arrested three TikTokers here after seizing Kalashnikovrifles.

“Our crackdown on social media influencers and TikTokers, who have been exhibiting arms, is under way. We arrested three more individuals and took Kalashnikov rifles from their possession,” DPO Shafiullah Khan Gandapur told reporters on Friday.

He said a team, led by SHO Lassan Nawab Anwar Khan, was formed after the display of prohibited arms on social media.

Mr Gandapur said TikTokers Danial Nawaz, Imran Haroon and Zain Ali were arrested in raids in Lassan Nawab after the recovery of three Kalashnikov rifles.

“We also arrested dozens of such individuals during our ongoing crackdown against content displaying prohibited arms and other illegal materials,” he said.

The DPO urged people to ensure their children don’t carry out such hazardous activities.

Published in Dawn, December 28th, 2024