All parties vs Timber mafia -letter
 

The district level All Parties meeting of political leaders to prevent the smuggling of timber out of the district under the guise of auction of confiscated timber is good news for Chitralis. The consensus among all parties at district level to auction and use the confiscated wood within the district indicates that the entire political leadership of Chitral is united against the timber mafia and has the will and capability to stand against the powerful timber smugglers and their patrons.

 

This is a fact that some powerful people of the district with the connivance of the local administration and the forest department have played havoc with the forests of Chitral. Thousands of trees are chopped every year and smuggled down country and this is going on unabated for the last several decades and the poor district and its people are not only being deprived of their natural resources but also exposed to environmental disasters such as floods and land sliding. This disastrous and unethical practice has certainly made few influential people filthy rich but the district has lost its rare and precious natural resource. Further depletion of forest will lead to worst kind of environmental degradation and disaster. In this context the voice coming from all parties is a ray of hope to protect and preserve it's natural resources from extinction and we appreciate this rare show of unity by our leaders.

Sultan Mehmood,
Garamchashma, Chitral,
22 Apr 10.