Chitral forests and timber mafias

Frontier Post -Abdul Bari (ex-Nazim) Drosh

Chitral is the most beautiful, attractive and peaceful district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as well as in whole Pakistan. Due to greenery, peaceful environment and unique Kalash culture a large number of tourists visit Chitral from all over Pakistan and rest of the world and add too much to the tourism industry and contribute to the economy of the country. But now timber mafias, in the grab of contractors and business men, are busy in destruction of beauty of Chitral by-passing all international rules regarding forest and environment. According to international rule cutting healthy green tree of dewdar is prohibited but here the situation is totally different. Millions of such trees have been ruthlessly cut in the forest of Domil, Arandu, Shishikuh, Ursoon and Jinjiratekuh and the process is going on without any break. If this process continued without break then within a short span of time Chitral will be among the forest deficient and completely barren districts of Pakistan. Then havoc of floods will be more severe in the area and ultimate sufferers would be common man when their small homes would be direct target of floods. While a few members of timber mafia have already developed their properties in the Blue Area of Islamabad, Hayatabad and other posh area of Pakistan from the common wealth of four lakh Chitralis. Interesting fact of the matter is that in construction of government owned building use of timber is banned in order to control forests but a few members of timber mafia have created havoc with the forests of Chitral which has resulted in sharp decrease in areaof forests in Chitral. Forest department needs complete overhauling to meet this challenge and to protect greenery of Chitral from timber mafia. Because timber mafia is so strong and have roots in highest decision making echelon that officials of forest department at district level are completely helpless against them. Having been discouraged by insensitive attitude of Forest Department local community is thinking to take control of whole forests in their own hand so that the remaining part can be rescued from access of timber mafia. Because Forest Department has failed to control menace of timber mafia stronghold in district Chitral. It needs special and urgent steps on war footing basis to protect forest of Chitral and its impact on overall environment and tourism industry. If the following steps are taken on immediate basis it would help in controlling deforestation in Chitral district. 1) Complete ban on movement of timber from Chitral to rest of country as well as Afghanistan. Because there are movement of timber from Arandu side to Afghanistan on large scale. 2) Strict vigilance on forest check posts to ensure this order. 3) Complete ban on cutting of healthy Green Dewdar in the forest of Chitral in the grab of wind-fall. 4) Enquiry and independent verification of forest destruction in Arandu, Shishikuh, Domil, Ursoon, and Jiniratekuh in order to evaluate the quantum of catastrophe occurred with the forest of Chitral in these specific points. 5) In the grab of wind-fall green and healthy dewdar are annihilated in the forest and smuggled by timber mafia to down country and the process is in progress till now which has played havoc with the forest of Chitral and it should be stopped forthwith. Gimmick of wind-fall should be stopped because it is stimuli to smuggling and local community should be involved in protective and preventive measures of forest in Chitral. 6) Inside the district members of timber mafia acquire Tree Permit for specific quantity of timber but they supply more than double of the said quantity due to lose control and lack of cross verification by forest department guards at various check posts. People of Chitral are so frustrated by the behaviour of forest guards and warn forest department that they would themselves get control of check posts if the forest guards fail to control inter district smuggling of timber.