ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday restrained the Capital Development Authority (CDA) from cutting trees in the federal capital until Feb 2 and sought a detailed report on the ongoing tree-felling drive, amid allegations of large-scale environmental damage.

IHC’s Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro issued the directives while hearing a petition filed by Mohammad Naveed Ahmad of the Centre for Justice and Rights, which invoked Article 199 (jurisdiction of high court) of the Constitution.

Advocate Muddasir Latif Abbasi appeared as the petitioner’s counsel, while Assistant Attorney General Sarfraz Rauf was present on behalf of the state.

At the outset of the hearing, Advocate Abbasi contended that massive tree felling was being carried out across Islamabad in violation of rules and regulations. He argued that the indiscriminate cutting had led to serious environmental changes, posing dangers to public health and ecology, and amounted to a violation of Pakistan Environment Protection Act 1997.

Petition says around 30,000 trees cut without any proper justification or following prescribed procedure

At one point, Justice Soomro summoned the AAG to the rostrum and questioned the government side, asking why trees were being cut despite existing environmental safeguards.

Taking serious notice of the matter, the court ordered the CDA to immediately stop all tree-felling activities until the next hearing.

Notices were issued to the CDA, the Pakistan Environment Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) and the climate change ministry, directing them to submit a detailed “para-wise” response and comprehensive report at the next hearing.

Subsequently, the court adjourned the hearing until February 2.

Recently, a large-scale tree removal drive took place in at least three locations in Islamabad, including around Shakarparian, sparking widespread public criticism.

According to the petition, the actions of the authorities contravened PEPA, the Islamabad Wildlife Ordinance 1979, and the master plan of Islamabad, which designates Shakarparian as a protected green area.

It was asserted that no public hearing was conducted as required under environmental law and that Pak-EPA failed to take timely action.

The petitioner alleged that thousands of mature trees were cut during late 2025 and early 2026, causing what he termed “grave and irreversible environmental harm”.

The petitioner urged the IHC to direct the CDA to produce the “official record of the tree-cutting operations in Shakarparian, H-8 and other areas, including who recommended it; who approved it; on what legal or policy basis; and any environmental impact assessments or notifications issued”.

He requested the court to fix responsibility for the tree-cutting at the “highest levels” within the CDA, and direct “appropriate and exemplary penal action” under relevant laws, including PEPA and the Pakistan Penal Code 1860.

The petitioner also called for Pak-EPA and the climate change ministry to be held accountable for “not having acting in the matter in time or at all”, and for them to face penal action.

The complainant urged the IHC to impose an “immediate ban on the cutting of all trees in Islamabad”.

He sought a high-powered judicial commission headed by a retired IHC or Supreme Court judge to investigate the “recent and ongoing violations of the master plan of Islamabad, including unauthorised tree cutting and encroachments”, and submit a report with recommendations within 90 days.

The petitioner urged the IHC to order the CDA to “compensate for the cut trees by immediately transplanting mature, grown-up native trees in the affected areas and planting additional new trees of appropriate age and size at a ratio of at least ten for every one tree removed”.

The petitioner also sought the establishment of an “impartial, autonomous, and fully empowered body” which would comprise experts, civil society representatives and judicial nominees for approving any future tree-cutting campaigns in cases of “genuine necessity”.

Serious concerns were also raised over the construction of a monument in Sector H-8 along the Islamabad Expressway.

The petitioner alleged that hundreds of decades-old native trees were cut for the project without any justification related to pollen mitigation.

He pointed to an apparent lack of transparency in site selection and sought directives to the CDA to justify to the court’s satisfaction as to why the monument could not be built in an existing park or public place.

He requested the court to order the CDA to withhold further construction of a new cricket stadium and convention centre until the satisfaction of the IHC or any commission or entity empowered by the court in this behalf.

He also sought a moratorium on “all current and upcoming infrastructure projects in Islamabad until the establishment of an independent oversight mechanism to review and approve such projects in the context of environmental protection and the Master Plan”.

Published in Dawn, January 16th, 2026