PESHAWAR: PTI chairman Imran Khan on Monday said the ‘timber mafia’ was worse than those holding offshore bank accounts for depriving the people in the province of widespread forests by illegally cutting Rs200 billion trees during the last 10 years.

Speaking at the opening passing out ceremony of 50th batch of Pakistan Forest Institute graduates here, the PTI chief said the timber mafia was criminals, who deprived the current generation of its right to live in a greener healthier environment.

He, however, congratulated the PFI graduates for getting education in the field of forestry.

Imran called the PFI young graduates ‘foot soldiers’ saying they’ll fight to reverse the adverse effects of climate change with their specialised education.

PTI chief says Rs200bn trees illegally cut in KP during last 10 years

Around 3,200 graduates have received specialised training in forestry at the PFI, the only institute of its kind in Pakistan and as old as the country itself.

The PTI chairman, who was the chief guest at the 50th PFI convocation, said Pakistan was the eighth country facing the worst effects of climate change as its 5,000 glaciers were melting at an alarming rate.

He said the illegal cutting of trees without planting new saplings had shrunk forests all over the country.

“The timber mafia has done the worst kind of cruelty to this generation by risking their future to threats like global warming and climate change,” he said.

Imran Khan said it was unfortunate that only 640 million trees were planted in the entire country during its history but it was the PTI government in KP, which would plant the record one billion trees in the five years’ time.

He regretted that the research had showed that only in Dera Ismail Khan district, the temperature had increased one degree centigrade and the quantity of rainfall had dropped five millimeters in the last five years due to climate change.

The PTI chief said it was alarming that Pakistan having half of its population under the age of 25 years could face serious and adverse effects of climate change.

He said the local residents should work for making conditions livable. “The scientific cutting of trees and planting more trees can not only help local economies but it can reverse the adverse effects of climate change as well,” he said.

Imran Khan said the PFI graduates were actually to fight the challenge with their specialised education and save the future of the entire country.

He appreciated how important it was to equip the country’s only forestry institute with funds and skills to combat environmental problems like global warming and climate change.

The PTI chief said since the billion Tsunami tree project was acknowledged internationally so the institute could benefit from the $100 billion fund set up in Paris for the climate change issue.

PFI director (education) Ghayyas Ahmad, who himself graduated from the institute, said the selected nominees from all over Pakistan joined the institute.

“So far, 3,200 graduates have passed out from here,” he said.

The PFI director said funds were not a big issue but there was a need to make procedures simple and fill vacancies to address the shortage of staff in specialised fields.

He said all graduates got employed after completing studies, which showed there was a scope for that specialised education.

Some students declared the field of forestry challenging, especially for girls.

Kamal Anwar of Swat said the course it would help him protect forests in his hometown.

Another student from Upper Swat, Mushtaq Ahmad, said he would join the forest department to protect forests in his area.

North Waziristan student Ziaullah said he came from a conflict-affected area to study at the institute and that local youths were interested in the subject.

He, however, said despite having nine per cent admission quota for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa along with other provinces, the girl students rarely applied for forestry course as the hilly tours and exercises in forests were often so tough that girls showed reluctance.

He said this year’s BS Forestry batch had three girls and 25 boys.

Published in Dawn, April 26th, 2016