The federal government, the Islamabad Capital Territory administration, and Pakistan’s environmental community, including WWF Pakistan, are currently at odds over the cutting down of more than 20,000 trees in the capital. The government maintains that the exercise was limited to the removal of paper mulberry trees, citing their role in triggering seasonal allergies. Environmental activists, however, supported by WWF Pakistan, argue that the scale and location of the deforestation tell a different story. They contend, with evidence, that a significant portion of the trees was felled to make way for new infrastructure, particularly around Shakarparian, an area long regarded as the lungs of........

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