1400 new saplings to be planted at Shakarparian
ISLAMABAD
The Capital Development Authority’s (CDA) Environment Wing on Tuesday held a winter plantation activity to be followed by the Spring Plantation Drive during which a total 30,000 plants will be planted at Shakarparian while across Islamabad the target is 200,000 new indigenous trees.
During the winter plantation activity, 1400 plants are planned at Shakarparian as the area looked barren after the recent removal of trees from the area, mostly paper mulberry trees.
CDA’s Deputy Director General (DG) Environment, Dr Sania Hameed Pasha, Director Environment Rana Kashif and CDA’s Spokesperson Shahid Kiani led the plantation activity.
“On the first day of the winter plantation activity, 450 plants are being planted while during the winter season a total 1400 are planned,” said Dr Sania Pasha while briefing the media persons on the occasion. By the end of Spring 2026, our target is to plant 30,000 plants all over the Shakarparian,” she further said.
The plants being planted on the site are Arjuna plants— knowns as Terminalia arjuna a large, evergreen tree which is indigenous and evergreen with rich medicinal value. While replying to the media queries of large-scale tree cutting, Dr Sania dismissed the reports saying the CDA had removed only paper mulberry trees in compliance with the Supreme Court (Suo Motu Case 2023) directions, which declared Paper Mulberry a severe allergen and mandated its replacement with indigenous species.”
She was of the view that that approximately 37pc of Islamabad’s population was affected during the pollen season every year in March and April and paper mulberry (Broussonetia papyrifera) is a major aeroallergen, primarily known for its high pollen production that triggers severe respiratory issues like allergic rhinitis and asthma.
To a question, she said only pollen allergy causing trees (paper mulberry) were removed and the CDA had given the clearance exclusively for cutting down paper mulberry.
The CDA’s Security Unit has also made sure that no indigenous or environment-friendly tree is removed from anywhere. She further said that green cover and vegetation in the Islamabad Capital Territory has increased during the last couple of years. Between January 2023 and December 2025 more than 9,000 acres have been brought under green cover and vegetation.
The winter plantation drive was participated by the local citizens, visitors of Lok Virsa and even two German brother-sister duo Paul and Emma who were going to the Lok Virsa Museum but stopped to see the plantation activity. Paul who is a gardener by profession in Germany appreciated the CDA workers of the Environment Wing for digging the patches and helping the people plant saplings.
“In fact, they are the real heroes as they are planting trees,” he said. Emma also planted a sapling and called it an amazing activity. We are in Pakistan to attend a wedding in Lahore but visiting Islamabad is far more refreshing and amusing than Lahore,” Emma said. Paul also lauded the efforts of the Islamabad administration in preserving Islamabad’s green character intact.
