ISLAMABAD: Minister for Climate Change Musadik Malik on Tuesday visited the tree-cutting site near Lok Virsa in Shakarparian, declaring the systematic felling of fully grown trees “unacceptable” and warning of strict legal action where environmental laws have been violated.

Speaking at the site, the minister acknowledged public outrage over the loss of tree cover and stressed that environmental protection remained a priority of the government.

He said the matter had drawn serious attention due to its impact on Islamabad’s ecological balance, landscape and air quality.

“We are here to review the circumstances under which the trees were removed and ensure that accountability mechanisms will be applied if violations of environmental regulations were found,” the minister said, emphasising the need for development projects to comply strictly with environmental laws and sustainability standards.

Vows strict action over environmental laws violations; demands CDA evidence linking pollen allergies to trees

The minister said spring was the appropriate season for the plantation of saplings and that reforestation must follow sound ecological principles.

Shakarparian, spread over 3,499 acres and forming part of the Margalla Hills National Park, has seen 27 acres cleared of paper mulberry, while 1,001 indigenous trees were reportedly saved, Musadik Malik said, adding that, “Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) will verify these figures.”

He added that a public hearing had been claimed to have been held and that the ministry had summoned its minutes for review.

The minister said Pak-EPA had clear instructions to initiate legal action and issue show-cause notices against any development or construction activity carried out without mandatory environmental approvals.

“We will visit all sites where construction is underway. If paperwork is incomplete, law will take its course,” he said, warning of heavy penalties.

He announced that an amendment to existing laws was being proposed to ensure financial penalties for cutting trees and destroying forests were commensurate with the offence. “We will recommend that penalties be several times higher,” he said. The minister reiterated that for every tree cut, three trees would be planted as part of compensatory measures.

It remains unclear if a public hearing had been held for the upgrading of a public park in Sector H-8, where heavy machinery continued to clear and level green cover.

He said media would be invited again in spring for a plantation drive, calling it a commitment to Islamabad’s residents.

“The dream is to restore wildlife - fireflies and green parrots. Wildlife cannot be restored by planting foreign species,” he added.

Briefing the minister, Director Environment, Capital Development Authority (CDA) Chaudhry Akhtar Rasool said six indigenous species such as chir pine, kachnar, amaltas, jacaranda, arjan and sterculia, were being planted.

He said 2,500 trees had already been planted in the past week, while a total of 30,000 trees would be planted by the end of February to compensate for the 8,700 paper mulberry trees chopped in Shakarparian, to be counted and verified by Pak-EPA.

According to officials, an estimated 30,000 fully grown trees have been felled in the area across the federal capital, triggering public outrage and renewed scrutiny of development practices in Islamabad’s protected green zones.

Public outcry has mounted over the large-scale felling of trees in Islamabad to accommodate what critics describe as visual pollution, including billboards, clutter and unchecked urban sprawl.

Published in Dawn, January 14th, 2026