Plant for Pakistan

The Prime Minister launched his 10 billion Tree Campaign to make Pakistan greener by planting a sapling at Haripur today. There are no two opinions about this campaign being the need of the hour and a right step in the right direction which has been already long overdue.  Everyone not only appreciates it but prays whole heartedly for its success.

There are vast huge areas in Pakistan which offer ideal space for such plantation.  First of all the hilly and mountainous areas which have been deforested over the eons by the timber mafia or for want of burning wood by the local populace need to be appreciably forested again.  Next, there are miles and miles of country roads, intercity roads, highways, motorways, coastal roads and railways where trillions and trillions of trees can be planted at places ten to twenty or even more deep. In far off places of  Baluchistan seeds could be stray spread aerially in massive numbers and if even 5 to 10 percent of them take root that would make a great impact on the ecology of the province.

Naturally plants need care and watering for the first two years or so and thereafter can their own care. The forest department subject to the given environs MUST, therefore, be ruthlessly made responsible and accountable for every tree planted.

Col. Syed Riaz Jafri (Retd)