While traveling from Kharian to Jhelum the site of dense forest provides a calming visual and a sense of peace and relaxation. Not very far back similar scenery and lush greenery was visible along the Grand Trunk Road between Jhelum and Dina but the same has been replaced with gray structures as far as the eye can see.
The dense forest near Kharian is actually two reserve forests namely Pabbi Reserve Forest (36,374 acres) and Rasul Reserve Forest (827 acres) and is jointly called Pabbi Rasul Reserve Forest. In 2021 the Forest department proposed and developed Pabbi National Park for recreation and educational purposes for the people of Kharian. The park is open to the public for quite some time..
In Pakistan as we all know housing schemes are a lucrative business. No matter how the economic conditions are, the housing society’s business is on rise. The land, agricultural or other, is being acquired and converted into housing societies at rampant speed. At present three housing societies namely, New Metro City, Grand City and Buraq City are in full swing along the Kharian- Sarai Alamgir Road and what is concerning is that the societies are being built in a very close proximity to Pabbi Rasul Reserve Forest. The development of housing societies so close to reserved forest is alarming as it poses manifold threats in terms of habitat loss, pollution, wildlife displacement and depletion of local flora and fauna.
So about the Pabbi Rasul Reserve Forest, it is a reserve forest as we have told earlier. A Reserve forest is basically a designated area of land set aside by government or authorities for the conservation and protection of natural habitats and wildlife. It aims to preserve biodiversity, maintain ecological balance, prevent soil erosion, and provide sustainable livelihoods for local communities. Public access is restricted to minimise human interference and ensure the preservation of flora and fauna. The British government in 1927 introduced the law namely Indian Forest Act, 1927 to refer to forests granted protection by the government. After independence the word “Indian” was omitted but the rest of the law as well as the status of the reserved and protected forests were retained. Later, more forests were granted protection under the aforesaid law. As per the law after a forest is declared a reserve forest, activities like hunting, grazing, poaching etc are prohibited and in case of violation the same is subject to penalties including imprisonment and fines. According to National Forest Products Statistics, at present there are 2001 reserved forests in Pakistan.
Housing, like food, is a basic necessity of humans. The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights includes the right of housing. The European Pillar of Social Rights states that access to social housing or housing assistance of good quality is to be provided for those in need. The directive principles in our constitution too emphasize on the provision of housing to its citizens. However, providing a roof in a country whose population has surged past 240 million and the fertility rate is the highest in South Asia is a daunting task. Presently, there is housing demand of 10 million units and a supply gap of 4.5 million units. With ever increasing gap between demand and supply people sleeping under bridges, footpaths and parks is now a common sight.
The housing dilemma is multi-faceted and mere mushrooming of housing societies is no answer to this deep rooted problem in Pakistan. The mindless acquisition of precious agricultural or non-agricultural land and conversion of the same into housing societies has been deplored by experts and law courts again and again. In a recent case the Supreme Court stressed on the need for checks and oversight to ensure food security and to resist conversion of agricultural land for commercial purposes.
Reverting back To Pabbi Rasul Reserve Forest, development of housing societies close to reserve forests pose serious threats to forests. According to an Article, “Housing growth in and near United States protected areas limits their conservation area,” “Housing societies in the immediate vicinity of forests accompanying road development fragments native habitat, fosters exotic species invasions and increases predation by mesopredators and pets. It further states that environmental effects of a house can reach far beyond its immediate site, leading to biodiversity declines and biotic homogenization”. These are among the few foreseeable dangers that stem from development of housing societies in close proximity to forests. However, in Pakistan the bigger danger is the encroachment of forest land itself. There are not one or two but numerous episodes in which forest land has been encroached upon by land grabbers. In 2021 Rawalpindi police registered a case against a housing society for grabbing land of Mujahid reserve forest. In 2020 a high level inquiry report confirmed the encroachment of forest land of approximately 38.92 acres in Haripura district of Khyber Paktunkhwa by some land developers. Earlier in 2009 it was reported that around 7,000 kanals of forest land in Murree was sold out illegally. In the Federal Capitol too reserved forest land was encroached upon by different housing societies. Hence, keeping in view the past record, the progress of housing societies near Pabbi Rasul Reserve Forest has certainly caused raising of eye-brows. We can only hope that the concerned authorities are vigilant and make sure that not an inch of reserve forest has been encroached upon. Moreover, in future no permission would be granted to develop societies near reserve forests.
Alia Ijaz is a Supreme Court Lawyer. She can be reached at [email protected]