A massive illegal logging operation worth nearly 1.7 billion Pakistani rupees (about $6 million) has been discovered in Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, according to Geo News.
Investigators uncovered a large-scale theft of government timber, allegedly aided by dozens of corrupt officials.
According to the Forestry Planning and Monitoring Circle in Peshawar, authorities seized 2.3 million cubic feet of illegally felled wood from several forested regions.
Out of 370 cases reviewed, more than 30% showed major discrepancies, while 140 forestry officers and staff were implicated in facilitating or ignoring illegal logging. Show cause notices and charge sheets have already been issued, and several cases were referred to Pakistan's National Accountability Bureau and the Anti-Corruption Department for prosecution.
Officials say the seized timber was linked to cases where logging standards were ignored, tree markings were faked, or harvesting permits were deliberately abused.
For three years, forest monitoring in KP was suspended for "unknown reasons," per Geo News — a lapse that reportedly allowed organized timber mafias to take advantage. It was only after the government ordered a full-scale audit this year that the corruption was uncovered.
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Environmental experts warn that this kind of fraud goes beyond lost money. Deforestation in Pakistan is accelerating soil erosion, water shortages, and landslides, particularly in regions that rely on forest cover to stabilize steep terrain.
In a country already among the most vulnerable to rising temperatures, each illegal tree cut weakens its natural defenses against flooding and other extreme weather events linked to an overheating planet.
Pakistan's forests make up just around 5% of its total land area — one of the lowest rates in Asia — and they are shrinking fast.
However, restoration efforts are underway: mangrove conservation initiatives and programs like the Ten Billion Tree Tsunami have led to the planting of billions of saplings nationwide, offering a hopeful solution to the issue.
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Government officials have promised new oversight measures to prevent similar abuses in the future, according to Geo News, though activists say the success of that plan depends on "strict accountability."
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