MQM-P, Sindh governor, Saylani kick off plantation drives in Karachi

With the monsoon season at its peak with regular rainfalls lashing Karachi, three tree plantation drives have been launched simultaneously to increase green cover in the city where fast urbanisation has led to the demise of an uncountable number of trees over the past couple of decades.

The three tree plantation drives were launched in the city on Thursday by Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan, Sindh Governor Kamran Khan Tessori and the non-profit Saylani Welfare International Trust.

The drive by the MQM-Pakistan was launched at Bagh Ibn-e-Qasim in Clifton. The event was attended by MQM senior leaders Dr Farooq Sattar, Anees Qaimkhani, Nasreen Jalil, Syed Aminul Haq, and Ali Khurshidi. Diplomats of Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates, Iran, Russia, Germany, France, and noted businessman Arif Habib also attended the event.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Farooq Sattar urged the government to reserve the month of August for the tree plantation drives in the country. He said that thousands of tree saplings would be planted in the city under the MQM’s Green Pakistan drive to improve the environmental conditions in the provincial capital.

He said the MQM-Pakistan would conduct one of the biggest tree plantation drives in Pakistan’s history. Dr Sattar also urged the government to conserve subsoil water reserves. He said the tree plantation drive was the most environmental friendly practice.

Meanwhile, the Sindh governor planted a sapling on the lawn of the Governor House to kick off his tree plantation drive. Diplomats of different countries, vice-chancellors of universities, industrialists, doctors, and people belonging to the performing arts attended the event.

The consul general of the UAE announced the planting of 1,000 trees at the Governor House. Tessori urged every concerned citizen to actively take part in the plantation drive to combat the challenge of global warming. He said the students should also actively take part in the plantation activity. The governor said that he would continue to make efforts to make Karachi clean and green.

Speaking to media persons, Tessori hoped that the problematic issue in the energy sector of huge payments to the independent power producers in the country would soon be resolved. He appealed to Jamaat-e-Islami activists and supporters not to stage a protest sit-in at the gates of the Governor House to avoid the situation of a road blockade that causes hardships to the masses.

The Saylani Welfare Trust also launched its tree plantation drive in Karachi that will continue till August 14. Saylani Trust Chairman Maulana Bashir Farooq Qadri planted a sapling near Char Minar Chowrangi in Bahadurabad to kick off the plantation campaign.

On the occasion, tree saplings were given to citizens free of charge. The Saylani Trust’s current campaign is aimed at planting and distributing 5,000 tree saplings in the city. Speaking to media persons, the Saylani Trust chairman said that his non-profit was ready to partner with the government to plant trees on vast areas of barren and unused state land. He told journalists that the Saylani Trust had the resolve to plant a total of 100,000 using its resources. He said the Saylani Trust would not just plant saplings but also perform the responsibility of their nurturing and growth to combat frequent heatwaves in urban areas.