ISLAMABAD: As part of materialising the dream of a greener Pakistan, 422 public sector schools will be turned into ‘Green Schools’ through organised tree plantation. Syed Zeeshan Ali Naqvi, Deputy Mayor Islamabad, made this announcement at the launch of the tree plantation drive here on Thursday. The ceremony was attended by a large number of students and people from different walks of life. It was held by Pakistan Youth Climate Network (PYCN) and Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Climate Change. The tree plantation drive is to strengthen and contribute to a ‘Green Pakistan’ campaign which has been launched simultaneously in all provinces as well as Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB). Under the national campaign, 257 million trees, a majority of which will be local and indigenous species will be planted across Pakistan. Naqvi, while speaking at the Islamabad launch of the drive said that the government and the CSOs working together for a shared cause was a highly encouraging development for a greener and better Pakistan. He expressed the hope that the private sector would come forward to support this national cause under its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) obligations towards the nation. Majella Clarke from Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) while appreciating the initiative said that REDD was committed to support every endeavour that highlights the importance of increased forestation. She said that her organisation was working with the Ministry of Climate Change for Pakistan on a specific strategy in this regard. Shakeel Ahmad Ramay of SDPI highlighted that the initiative of PYCN and SDPI was to signify the importance of trees to mitigate the impact of climate change and global warming and a neat and clean environment. The drive was also initiated in Peshawar where SDPI joined hands with BARAN organisation and Peace Foundation in Peshawar. Sajad Ali Akbar from BARAN, Maqsood Ahmed Salafi from Peace Foundation, Ajmal Khan, Director, Directorate of Culture and Deputy Director and Amin Khan on the occasion vowed to make Pakistan green. To mark the event at the national level, SDPI in collaboration with PYCN and other stakeholders launched similar drives in Lahore, Karachi and Quetta while highlighting the importance of forestation in Pakistan.