PESHAWAR, May 26: The residents of Ayun village of Chitral have expressed grave concern over unchecked deforestation in the district and demanded of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to take immediate action against timber mafia and save the remaining forests. Speaking at a press conference in Peshawar Press Club on Saturday, a member of Muttahida Council Ayun (MCA), Fazalur Rehman, said that the local people had been discouraged to raise voice against illegal cutting of trees. He said that the local administration charged them under terrorism law when they earlier held a rally against wanton deforestation in the area.

“We are peaceful and law-abiding people, but we will not accept cutting of thick forests in different parts of Chitral district,” he maintained.

Flanked by Nazir Mohammad, Shaifqur Rehman, Rafi Ahmed and other elders of Ayun village, the MCA member said that an organised timer mafia was involved in cutting of precious pine forests in the district and if prompt action was not taken the area would lose significant part of its forest cover.

Mr Rehman said that deforestation was carried out on the pretext of gathering trees fallen by winds.

However, he claimed that timber mafia was involved in chopping of green trees on massive scale in different parts of Chitral, including Rambur, Birir, Bamborat and Achoulga valleys.

The MCA activist said that peaceful people of the area were being implicated in terrorism cases by timber mafia for raising their voice against illegal tree cutting. He demanded that cases should be withdrawn immediately against all those people who wanted to save forests.

“A judicial inquiry was carried out, but its findings are yet to be made public. We will fully accept the findings,” he said.

Mr Rehman said that timber of fallen trees should be given to local population, as they had no other source of fuel. He urged the provincial government to take notice of the deforestation in the region and withdraw cases against residents of Ayun village.