LAHORE, Feb 1 Lahore High Court (LHC) Chief Justice Khwaja Muhammad Sharif directed on Monday the Punjab forest secretary to get a criminal case registered against those who had grabbed 15,000 kanals or 1,875 acres of Murree forestland.

He issued these directions while hearing a suo motu case.

Forest Secretary Azam Suleman Khan informed the court 790 acres had been retrieved from the occupants while an operation was underway to clear the remaining land from illegal occupants. The chief justice directed the secretary to inform the court about the operation on March 3.

Justice Sharif had taken suo motu notice on a news item published in a section of press which stated the authorities had found 15,000 kanals of reserved forestland worth billions encroached and even the Punjab chief minister seemed ineffective to save the land. He said Pakistan was already facing deforestation threats. To protect environment the country needed more forests that also guaranteed human salvation. It was the foremost duty of all state functionaries and citizens to safeguard this God gifted treasure, he wrote in his orders.