The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Climate Change and Environmental Coordination on Friday expressed serious concern over large-scale tree-cutting in the federal capital, questioning the absence of prior environmental assessments and weak coordination among relevant authorities.
The meeting, chaired by Munaza Hassan, MNA, reviewed tree-felling activities carried out across various sectors of Islamabad, including the removal of paper mulberry and other species.
Officials from the Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination and the Capital Development Authority briefed the committee on the rationale and legal basis of the drive.
Members noted with concern the absence of senior officials, including the CDA chairman and the federal minister and minister of state for climate change, observing that non-attendance undermines parliamentary oversight.
While the CDA maintained that Islamabad’s overall green cover had increased through compensatory plantation and transplantation, the committee remained unconvinced, stressing that post-facto measures cannot replace prior planning, statutory compliance, and environmental impact assessments-particularly in protected areas such as the Margalla Hills National Park.
The committee raised questions over the lack of environmental impact studies before tree removal, cutting in designated brown areas without ecological cost-benefit analysis, and weak coordination among the CDA, the Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency, and other regulators.
It also expressed dissatisfaction over the continued non-functional state of the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board and the Pakistan Climate Change Authority, noting that the absence of rules and institutional frameworks has hampered effective environmental governance.
On air quality and emissions testing, members emphasised that the mandate rests with Pak-EPA and voiced concern over the absence of a coherent plan for emissions monitoring in the federal capital.
The committee directed the CDA to submit the Islamabad Master Plan with clear demarcation of green and brown areas, supported by satellite imagery, along with site-wise data on tree removal and reforestation, including details of affected and replanted species.
It also sought expert studies underpinning the removal of paper mulberry trees and a verification report from the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board on tree-cutting in sensitive and protected areas.
The meeting was attended by several MNAs and senior officials from the climate ministry, the CDA and Pak-EPA.