Peshawar: Known as the "Switzerland of Pakistan," Swat Valley is a stunning tapestry of snow-capped peaks, lush green valleys, and dense forests of pine and deodar trees.
This natural beauty has long attracted tourists and nature enthusiasts from around the world, offering a serene escape into the wilderness.
However, socioeconomic challenges, terrorism and natural disasters, particularly the catastrophic 2022 floods, have wreaked havoc on the district's economy, hotel industry and environment.
As the region struggles to recover of the damages caused to its green character and economy, many locals have turned to the valley's natural resources for survival, often overlooking the long-term consequences. One of the most pressing threats to Swat's environment is the rampant deforestation, largely driven by timber mafia.
Wajid Ali Khan, former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Environment Minister, has referred to the devastating effects of the illegal timber trade in the region, noting that the forests of Upper Swat, particularly those populated with pines and deodar trees, have been severely depleted by the timber mafia's unchecked activities.
"The forests in Upper Swat have been ruthlessly axed for monetary gain," Wajid Khan said, emphasizing that the timber mafia's actions have caused irreparable damage to the region's green cover, accusing PTI in its failure in curbing timbers mafia.
"The roots of this crisis can be traced back to an irrational decision to allow private forest owners to cut down trees under the wood lot law. While this policy was initially intended to manage forest resources, it inadvertently opened the floodgates for illegal logging in both private and state-owned forests. The timber mafia capitalized on this, exacerbating the destruction."
By the time, the provincial government intervened and ordered a halt to tree falling; the damage had already been done. The once-thriving forests, integral to Swat, Dir, Shangla, Kohistan, Chital, Mansehra and Abbottabad's ecological balance, are now under heightening threats, he said.
With an increase in coldness after snowfall, the transportation of timbers increased further in in the province especially Swat, Dir, Chitral, Shangla of Malakand as well as Hazara divisions.
Wood seller Attaullah Khan, a resident of Swat said that his business started roaring in the wake of increasing demands of wood by hotels and furniture.
While cutting sleeper of native pines and indigenous species mostly transported from Bahrain, Khwazakhela, Madayn, Matta, Mahudhand, Gabin Jabba, Malam Jabba, Kabal, Oshu, and Kalam areas with an electric saw in his 'wood taal' with the support of two laborers, the wood seller admitted that active timber mafia cash the poverty and unemployment in Upper Swat, and obtain expansive pines and Deodar trees on throwaway prices from local before transporting it to down the country for maximum capital.
The available statistics revealed that in Upper and Lower Swat, forests cover an area of 216,005 acres, with 148,729 acres declared protected forests and 67,275 acres declared communal forests. The experts claimed that 30% to 40% of trees in various regions of Swat have already been cut down, and those involved in the process aim to raise this to 70% of trees in the district which means that the green cold soon be vanished if the timber mafia not checked.
The National Forest Policy 2015 has revealed that Pakistan's total forest-covered area was only five percent, and the country was losing about 27,000 hectares of forests per year, mainly occurring in private and community-owned natural forests in KP and Gilgit Baltistan.
Tauheed Khan, former Conservator of Forests while comparing deforestation rate of Pakistan with the world said that every year around 10 million hectares of forest were deforested - equal to the area of Portugal.
He said around half of this high deforestation was counterbalanced by re-growing of forests, which means that an overall around five million hectares of the green gold was lost per year worldwide.
He said about 60 percent of forests were being used as firewood in the country, 25 percent for furniture and 15 percent of trees were being lost due to urbanization and community-driven demands. 'Deforestation was a national challenge and there was a need to impose a 'Green Emergency' to protect the green heritage of KP.' He also suggested an agreement between Pakistan and Afghanistan to control the smuggling of timber.
Ex-Forest Minister Wajid Ali Khan claimed that thousands of trees planted under the PTI's billions tree afforestation project were prematurely cut in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa which was a clear violation of the agreement signed between KP forest department and farmers.
He claimed that due to improper planning and wrong selection, dozens of billion trees project's plantation sites in northern KP were swept away by the gushing flood water in 2022, inflecting huge financial losses to the government kitty.
Dr. Shafiqur Rehman, former Chairman Environmental Science Department at University of Peshawar said that deforestation was one of the major causes of climate change, poor rains, snowfalls and rise of temperature.
"Even though Swat River flows through the district, water scarcity is steadily growing in different parts of Malakand division, and future generations would likely to face hunger and water shortages if deforestation continues with such high rate," he reiterated.
Musawar Khan, CM-KP adviser for Forests and Climate Change said that under KP Forest Ordinance 2002, Forest Force had been raised with powers like the police to protect forest resources and conduct operations against timber mafia.
He said Forest Force is equipped with latest weaponry, vehicles, and a communication system with the power to shoot offenders and timber mafia in self-defense.
The forest officers can arrest, detain or take an accused into custody besides checking any vehicle, boat, railway wagon, or pack animal and seize the smuggled timber.
DFOs/RFOs can enter any depot, wood/saw cutting unit, building, or any premises to search and seize timber and arrest offenders besides holding investigation, inquiry and arrest any offender without any warrant from the magistrate.
'The forest force's jurisdiction has been extended to merged areas where check-posts established on national and regional highways and roads to curb timber smuggling.'
He suggested special forest courts for speedy trial of the accused, an increase in lockups, modern wireless systems, and mobility vehicles.
The CM aide said a complete ban on forest cutting was enforced under the Private Wood Lots Rules 2017 in KP. As KP especially Malakand division continues to grapple with its recovery, the battle against the timber mafia has become one of the region's most urgent concerns.
The experts hoped that with stricter enforcement of existing forest laws and community involvement, the Swat Valley can begin to heal, preserving its rich natural heritage for future generations.
