Around 500 twelve-foot pine trees were planted on Thursday at the Tayyip Erdoğan Interchange as part of a joint plantation drive involving a civil society organization, the Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI), and the Capital Development Authority (CDA).
Organizers said January’s weather is ideal for pine plantations, allowing saplings to establish stronger roots and ensuring long-term environmental benefits. The drive follows CDA’s citywide removal of more than 29,000 paper mulberry trees, a move officials say was aimed at reducing pollen-related allergies in the federal capital.
The large-scale removal, however, sparked public criticism and prompted the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to order an immediate halt to tree cutting in Islamabad until further notice. The court also sought a detailed report from CDA and other relevant authorities, and summoned the government’s law officer to explain the rationale behind the operation.
The case has been adjourned until February 2. Meanwhile, authorities maintain that the removal of paper mulberry trees was carried out under an approved plan to address pollen allergies, adding that a replacement plantation policy is in place, with a commitment to plant at least one tree for every tree removed.
