ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Farmers Wing has demanded that the Federal and Punjab governments constitute a high-level and commission comprising members of the judiciary, media representatives, and local notables to investigate the disastrous damage caused by the massive forest fire in Kotli Sattian, and bring them to justice.

Talking along with PTI Farmers Wing Central Spokesperson Khalid Nawaz Sadhraich during an interaction with journalists at the wing’s media cell said that the primary responsibility for the destruction of more than 75,000 acres of forest land apparently falls on the Forest Department staff, which showed “criminal” negligence by failing to carry out proper “firebreak compartmentalisation” of the forests, a basic preventive measure used worldwide to stop fires from spreading.

He said it was both tragic and ironic that valuable forests spread over 75,000 acres had been completely devastated by fire, with initial estimates putting the financial loss in billions of rupees, while at the same time the Punjab government, after abandoning these precious forests to destruction, was planning afforestation projects worth Rs2.5 billion on vacant forest lands in plain areas.

He further stated that afforestation schemes were being planned over 72,000 acres of vacant forest land in Dera Ghazi Khan, Rajanpur, Muzaffargarh, Layyah, and Kot Addu.

“The irony is that the area being targeted for future plantation is smaller than the area of mature and priceless standing forests that has already been destroyed by fire,” he remarked, adding that neither the federal nor the Punjab government had even issued a meaningful statement over this national tragedy.

Khalid Nawaz Sadhraich said that it was the Forest department’s responsibility to establish firebreaks in forests, which is considered one of the most effective methods of preventing the spread of fire. He questioned whether the department had fulfilled the responsibility at all. He maintained that the scale of devastation across 75,000 acres clearly indicated criminal negligence on the part of the relevant officials and their collusion with the timber mafia also cannot be ruled out. The PTI Farmers Wing leaders further demanded that an independent and high-powered inquiry committee be constituted to investigate the horrific destruction of Kotli Sattian’s forests.

Published in Dawn, June 4th, 2026