Residents of Ayun Valley go on hunger strike against Timber mafia

Chitral April 23: United Council Rights and Conservation of Forest Ayun staged a token hunger strike against brutal commercial cutting of forest.

The Mutahida Council  wa Tahafuzi Haqooqi Jangalat Ayun, urged the district administration and the provincial government  to impose ban on cutting of trees. Talking to this scribe they said that Chitral is a big district by virtue of land where 1.67% forest existing which is insufficient for dwellers of Chitral.

They appealed to provincial government for banning commercial cutting of forest. They said that according to provincial government notification of 1975 forest is state property and people of Chitral most deserve for royalty of forest. They said that forest department should to fulfill requirement of local people for infrastructure wood from Chitral forests.

They alleged that deserving people of Chitral give bribe to joint forest management committee to get legal permit for timber during construction their houses. They said that government of Pakistan get millions of dollars from IMF for conservation of forest  but forest department by itself involve in brutality cutting of forest.

They said that due to deforestation tremendous flood damaged the country in 2010 and afterward. They said that our elected representatives also supporting and involved in timber mafia and they not interest in banning of its cutting. The hunger strike camp was held on Tuesday for 8 hours they said that its duration will be increased gradually to 12 hours and if our genuine demand was not fulfilled they will continue hunger strike till their death.