The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday directed the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to immediately stop its ongoing tree-cutting operations in the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) until the next hearing scheduled for February 2.
Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro passed the order while hearing a constitutional petition filed by Muhammad Naveed Ahmad under Article 199. The petitioner was represented by Advocate Muddasir Latif Abbasi, while an assistant attorney general appeared on behalf of the government.
During the hearing, Advocate Abbasi argued that the felling of trees in the federal capital was being carried out in violation of existing laws, including the Pakistan Environmental Protection Act, 1997. He warned that widespread deforestation was contributing to environmental degradation and posed serious risks to public health.
Justice Soomro questioned the state’s representative regarding the rationale behind the removal of trees and subsequently issued notices to the CDA, the Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pak-EPA), and the Ministry of Climate Change. The court instructed all respondents to submit para-wise replies along with a comprehensive report at the next hearing.
The court then adjourned the case to February 2 and ordered the CDA to suspend all tree-cutting activities until that date.
The legal challenge comes in response to a recent large-scale tree removal operation in several parts of Islamabad, including areas around Shakarparian, which sparked strong public backlash.
Earlier, Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry informed the National Assembly that a total of 29,115 trees had been cut, citing three “possible reasons” for the action. He assured the house that the government planned to plant a greater number of trees in the coming months.
Although the CDA has claimed that only paper mulberry trees—known to cause pollen allergies—were removed, WWF-Pakistan has reported that the tree-cutting was also linked to ongoing infrastructure development in multiple locations.