Civil Society Demands Probe Into Eco-Terrorism.

Peshawar -- Civil society activists have demanded investigation into the recent forest fires which destroyed huge numbers of plants and trees in several districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and parts of Balochistan and Punjab.

They said the sudden and simultaneous fires ironically ignited on the World Environment Day, the UN theme for 2022 being 'Only One Planet', this is symbolic of eco-terrorism that cannot be ignored. However, the ongoing political divide has served as a distraction with scant media coverage or declaration of a natural disaster to alert global and national agencies for a robust response.

Already ranked as the top high-risk nation in the region, the loss of huge forest tracts and fragile ecosystems is an example of existential threat to Pakistan's future.

They also said that the KP minister for environment did not attend important meetings summoned by the CM, and the media quoted him claiming 'minor damage to forests in 8 affected districts during the entire month,' thus betraying criminal ignorance.

Blaming the infernos on dry weather, (guzara) communal land or local enmities or accidental grass fires, is shrugging government and state responsibility in the face of grave ecological and man made challenges.

A few knowledgeable and honest forest officials and representatives of all local communities have alleged connivance of top ranking KP representatives working hand in hand with land grabbers and timber mafia. The backers and handlers behind this blaze deserve to be held accountable through transparent investigation and prosecution.

Hamid Afridi, a development expert based in Islamabad, said: 'The unseen sinister and criminal hands causing 'environmental terrorism' must be exposed, apprehended, punished and made examples...