ISLAMABAD:
Shakarparian Road is one of those stretches of the capital that still reminds of old Islamabad: serene and green. You drive through it without noticing the trees because they have always been there, lining the road with quiet security.
Its shadow breaks the glare of the sun, its presence softens the noise of traffic. For years, the path has seemed settled, complete.
At one point, however, the green abruptly gives way to open terrain. The trees don’t slow down, they just stop. In its place is an expanse of clean earth, freshly turned in parts, with a handful of workers digging shallow pits along the path. A signboard firmly planted in the ground announces a promise: “Greener and Healthier Islamabad – Plantation of indigenous trees”, carried out by the environment wing of the Capital Development Authority. Nearby lie young pine trees, waiting to be planted.
However, it is the sudden disappearance of mature trees that has attracted attention. The sight of the new plantation offers little solace to residents and regular travelers who remember what was here before. The questions persist. Why were mature trees removed in the first place, what required their removal, and can replacing decades-old growth with young trees really be considered environmental protection?
However, the abrupt and large-scale nature of the cut has sparked public outrage, raising questions about whether the city’s natural heritage is being sacrificed in the name of public health.
After images of the recent deforestation went viral, Islamabad residents took to X to express their anger and question the authorities about their actual plan.
In 2025, the order was implemented again to rid the city of this invasive, non-native and potentially deadly species.
Environmental groups, however, present a different point of view, arguing that reality is more complex than official statements suggest. A WWF-Pakistan report harshly criticizes recent tree felling and land clearing in Islamabad, revealing that while the government’s paper mulberry eradication campaign is a major factor, the extensive loss of vegetation is also due to uncontrolled infrastructure development.
Field inspections conducted between December 2025 and January 2026 highlighted massive clearing along H-8 Islamabad Expressway, Margalla Enclave Link Road and Shakarparian, leaving large expanses of exposed soil and incomplete restoration. The report points out gaps in transparency, site-specific planning and monitoring, raising questions about the true intent behind the removals.
Experts have also weighed in, emphasizing that the ecological health of the city depends on both the method and the intention behind such campaigns. Dr. Zainab Naeem, a climate policy advocate and doctor of environmental sciences, said the problem is not the removal of the mulberry tree itself, but the mismanagement in which it was carried out. It noted that the court-ordered phased approach, prior afforestation and ecological assessments were ignored, and that native species such as shisham were also felled, as highlighted in the WWF-Pakistan report.
He called the move bad climate governance and warned that Islamabad is already experiencing an urban heat island effect due to concretization and loss of green buffer zones. Large-scale deforestation, he said, will further worsen rising temperatures, air quality, flooding and extreme weather conditions.
Dr. Hassan Abbas, a water resources expert, echoed these concerns and warned that large-scale tree felling would have a serious impact on water resources and the climate. Even if they aim to reduce allergies, he stressed, such actions must follow appropriate mechanisms.
Trees, he said, are essential for groundwater recharge, temperature regulation and ecological balance, while replacing them with concrete worsens heat, disrupts rainfall and accelerates environmental degradation.
Despite these concerns, CDA maintains its stance. The authority has rejected the criticism, stating that the tree felling activity is not arbitrary and is carried out strictly following instructions from the Supreme Court. According to Director General of Environment Irfan Khan Niazi, the apex court consulted experts and issued clear guidelines allowing only the removal of paper mulberry trees, explicitly ordering that other species not be cut.
While contractors were hired for the process, CDA said its staff supervised every step, from felling to loading the trees onto trucks, and kept proper records.
Speaking exclusively to The Express PAkGazette, he said that in the first phase, approximately 12,000 paper mulberry trees were removed from the F-9 park, while 8,700 were cut down in Shakarparian. Other sites, including H-8, were also part of the operation. In total, 29,115 mulberry trees have been removed so far.
