While traveling from Kharian to Jhelum the site of dense forest provides a calming visual and a sense of peace and relaxation. Not very far back similar scenery and lush greenery was visible along the Grand Trunk Road between Jhelum and Dina but the same has been replaced with gray structures as far as the eye can see.

The dense forest near Kharian is actually two reserve forests namely Pabbi Reserve Forest (36,374 acres) and Rasul Reserve Forest (827 acres) and is jointly called Pabbi Rasul Reserve Forest. In 2021 the Forest department proposed and developed Pabbi National Park for recreation and educational purposes for the people of Kharian. The park is open to the public for quite some time..

In Pakistan as we all know housing schemes are a lucrative business. No matter how the economic conditions are, the housing society’s business is on rise. The land, agricultural or other, is being acquired and converted into housing societies at rampant speed. At present three housing societies namely, New Metro City, Grand City and Buraq City are in full swing along the Kharian- Sarai Alamgir Road and what is concerning is that the societies are being built in a very close proximity to Pabbi Rasul Reserve Forest. The development of housing societies so close to reserved forest is alarming as it poses manifold threats in terms of habitat loss, pollution, wildlife displacement and depletion of local flora and fauna.

So about the........

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