Addressing at a press conference at Peshawar Press Club on Friday, the Chairman, Joint Forest Management Committee (JFMC) district Chitral, Major Ahmad Saeed Qazi (Retd) said that the cutting of trees is being carried out under a working plan in the area.
Flanked by Vice Chairman, Haji Inzar Gul, former Nazim Sirtaj Khan along with residents of Chitral, he further informed that a department is also engaged for monitoring and protection of forest working under supervision of Chief Conservative, Department of Environment.
He, however, said that those people who raised negative propaganda regarding the deforestation, have no connection with forests, and their protest campaign is totally politically motivated having vested interest. "The cutting down of trees is totally legal and being carried out under a working plan", he maintained.
Qazi said the protection of forest is in the best interest of the people of Chitral, adding that the area received about 60 percent royalty from the timber, while huge revenue also generated to provincial government by wood. He said that negative campaign could deprive the people of concession facility availed by them in the valley.
He explained that the timber cut down by Forest Development Council, was dry-wood and fallen, which causes braking of fire and damages to other healthy trees in the forest. Regarding the growing deforestation in Chitral, he said that a large quantity of wood has been used as fuel in the non-forest areas of the province without any working plan, demanding for inclusion in the official plan for cutting of the timber.
"About 0.2 million feet wood has been transported from district Chitral without any concession or legal permit in non-forest areas", he informed. He further added the practice neither benefited government nor the locals of the area, which must be stopped as additional burden on forests. He demanded for imposition of ban on free-permit for cutting of trees in district Chitral.
Criticising the viewpoint of participants during a seminar held on Mountain Day in district Chitral, he said that representatives have no role for protection and development of forests; therefore, an audit must be carried out against their organisations, he demanded.
He said that any anti-forest movement creates differences between people belonging to forest and non-forest areas of the Chitral, and those raised such issue, must abstain from it. He informed that most of forests are located on eastern border connected with Afghanistan, expressed fear that the campaign may also create law-and-order issue in the valley.