ISLAMABAD: Chairperson of the Senate Standing Committee on Climate Change, Senator Sherry Rehman, on Thursday chaired a detailed meeting on the extensive tree cutting and felling reported across Islamabad, stressing the urgent need for expert committees, transparency, public consultation, and strict adherence to environmental protocols.

Senator Rehman said Islamabad’s green spaces were essential for conservation, noting that the city’s forest cover was the lowest in the region at only five percent.

She urged the Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination (MoCC&EC) to establish expert committees, comprising wildlife specialists, ecologists, environmentalists and civil society representatives, to oversee parks and tree management.

“Tree plantation and tree removal are highly technical processes. We need proper committees, sub-committees, experts on board, and credible public hearings,” she said.

Minister claims pollen allergy burden has declined following control measures

Minister of State for National Health Services Dr Malik Mukhtar presented statistics showing Islamabad’s record-breaking pollen load of 82,000 grains per cubic meter in 2022, far exceeding the dangerous threshold of 1,500. He said paper mulberry contributed 94 percent of the total pollen load. He added that the United States and Australia had officially recognised paper mulberry as a noxious weed and eradicated it in regions such as Florida and Queensland, which influenced Pakistan’s mitigation approach.

According to the minister, Islamabad’s pollen allergy burden had already shown signs of decline following control measures.

He clarified that while an exaggerated figure of 80,000 trees had circulated in the media, only 29,115 paper mulberry trees were removed, mainly from F-9 Park and Shakarparian, under a three-step eradication protocol followed by health authorities.

He said three indigenous and non-allergenic species were planted for every mulberry tree removed, in line with environmental safeguards.

Responding to criticism, Capital Development Authority (CDA) Chairman Muhammad Ali Randhawa said the authority managed multiple development and environmental projects across Islamabad, and that all plantation records could be formally verified. He reiterated that under the CDA Development Policy, the authority was required to plant three new trees for every one tree removed, a standard he said was consistently followed.

Providing figures, he said that at Jinnah Square, 3,500 existing trees were recorded while 6,300 new saplings were planted. Around the Shaheen Chowk underpass, he added, 7,500 new trees were planted. He also informed the committee that CDA’s Gardeniya Hub nursery had raised a stock of 1.2 million plants to ensure a steady supply for ongoing and future plantation drives.

The CDA chairman also briefed the committee on enforcement actions, confirming that 13 FIRs had been registered against individuals involved in fire-related incidents that damaged green areas.

On the issue of paper mulberry, he said his office consulted independent doctors and specialists from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims), and that the Supreme Court had granted approval for the removal of the species due to its documented health impacts.

He added that in F-9 Park alone, 12,800 paper mulberry trees were removed and replaced with 40,000 environmentally friendly indigenous species, and that a public hearing was held in the park to ensure public input and transparency.

However, Senator Rehman said public concerns must be addressed through credible and transparent processes.

“It is the capital city of Pakistan. Its green spaces are essential to conserve and preserve. We must add to Islamabad’s natural green cover, not diminish it,” she said.

She urged MoCC&EC and CDA to establish a proper consultation and coordination mechanism and an expert-led committee structure to ensure environmental protection remained central to development planning.

The meeting was attended by Senators Syed Waqar Mehdi, Khalida Ateeb, Bushra Anjum Butt, and Sarmad Ali.

Officials from MoCC&EC, CDA Chairman Muhammad Ali Randhawa, Minister of State for National Health Services Dr Malik Mukhtar, and Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhary also participated in the meeting.

Published in Dawn, January 23rd, 2026