ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan has expressed grave concern over the increase in felling of trees and observed that deforestation poses a serious threat to climate.
“Deforestation is not only a loss in terms of money to the public exchequer but is also a dangerous cause of climate change, which is taking a toll on the lives of billions of people of the region and the world as a whole,” the top court’s Justice Dost Muhammad Khan observed. He further observed that massive deforestation was an unabated phenomenon and gaining momentum day by day. “Deforestation must be considered to be a very heinous crime,” the court further observed. With these observations, Justice Khan, while heading a three-judge bench, also rejected pre-arrest bail of Punjab Forest Department’s two employees – Abbas Ali and Naseer Ahmad – the co-accused in illegal cutting of more than 350 trees on the Lahore-Jaranwala Road and causing a Rs 2.36 million loss to the government exchequer.
“These petitioners (accused) are paid from the public exchequer and are entrusted with the duty to protect the forest and every standing tree, but when they themselves have become suspects in a crime then such cases should be dealt with seriously,” the top court ruled. Abbas Ali and Naseer Ahmad, employees of Sheikhupura Forest Division, were seeking pre-arrest bail in a case registered by the Lahore police for the crime under Section 409 of the Pakistan Penal Code read with Section 5 (2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947, in 2009. Both sections of the law are regarding the criminal breach of trust and misconduct by a public servant.
The top court observed that under the law, it was the duty of both the petitioners to protect the forest and every single tree, but despite the fact that a huge number of trees was cut and taken away, they did not report the matter well in time.
Sheikhupura Forest Division forest guard Akbar Ali had lodged an FIR against the two employees. During the course of investigation, the petitioners had filed their pre-arrest bail before a senior special judge of Anti-Corruption Establishment Punjab, which was dismissed in 2016. The petitioners had moved the Lahore High Court (LHC) seeking the same relief but the plea was dismissed. According to the petitioners, secretary of the department became inimical towards them due to some litigation in the LHC. They further stated that the secretary by using Akbar Ali concocted a false, frivolous and baseless story.
