TAXILA: Saying Pakistan is the 7th country threatened by global warming, PTI Chairman Imran Khan on Sunday announced to launch a tree plantation drive in Punjab after a successful campaign in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).

He was talking to mediapersons in Attock after visiting the house of former district nazim Tahir Sadiq and his daughter Eman Sadiq, who is the chairperson of the district council Attock.

Former federal minister Amin Aslam Khan and other party leaders were also present.

The PTI chief said though his party was not in power in Punjab, the drive would be launched with the assistance of the youth and the Insaf Student Federation. He said 10,000 saplings would be planted in the province in the first phase.

He said 85pc target of the billion tree tsunami campaign in KP had been achieved and the process had been audited by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). He claimed that the target would be achieved by December this year.

Mr Khan said people in the mountainous areas of KP were taking care of the planted trees and in the process they had also got employments.

He said deforestation exposed the mountain communities to landslides, flash floods and if proper steps were not taken on time different parts of the country would be turned into deserts.

He urged the citizens to plant a maximum number of trees and support the PTI drive.

Talking about the alleged letter from the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) against KP Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, he said the “Motu gang” was involved in the matter as NAB had disowned the letter.

He said he had asked Asad Qaiser to take legal action against those involved in the activity.

He said he knew who was involved in writing the fake letter.

He said taxpayers’ money was being used in the personal advertisement campaign of the prime minister and his brother.

He claimed that according to an estimate so far Rs25 to Rs30 billion had been spent on the personal propaganda drive of the PML-N government.

Published in Dawn, March 20th, 2017