160,000 acres of forest land in Punjab and KP under illegal occupation

15,000 acres of forest land in Benazirabad

ISLAMABAD Nov 21,2021

Malik Amin Aslam, Special Assistant to Prime Minister Imran Khan on Climate Change, has said that 160,000 acres of land of forests in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are encroached upon and under illegally occupation.  

Talking to media, he said that digital maps of forests across the country have been made, on the basis of these maps, an operation will be launched against the echroachment mafia, digital mapping of 5 million acres of government lands has been done. 

Malik Amin Aslam said that 160,000 acres of government land was occupied in Punjab and KP. The value of the encroached government land is Rs. 500 billion. 

He said that more land is occupied in Sindh but its mapping has not been completed yet, we will give data to provincial governments, they will vacate government land.

The Special Assistant to the Prime Minister said that out of 15,000 acres of forest land in Benazirabad, 10,000 acres are under occupation and this forest land is being cultivated.

In January 2020 , the Supreme Court directed Sindh authorities to cancel the illegal allotment of land belonging to the provincial forest department in a case pertaining to deforestation and leasing out of state-owned land to private developers.

Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed, who headed the three-member bench hearing the case in Islamabad, lamented that “ministers and lawmakers have occupied state land in Sukkur”.

In January 2020 , the Supreme Court directed Sindh authorities to cancel the illegal allotment of land belonging to the provincial forest department in a case pertaining to deforestation and leasing out of state-owned land to private developers.

Media reports said that in March 2021, Provincial forest department has launched an anti-encroachment operation with assistance from Rangers and removed illegal occupation of state land in the Katcha area of Sukkur,

Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed, who headed the three-member bench hearing the case in Islamabad, lamented that “ministers and lawmakers have occupied state land in Sukkur”.

An apex court bench, headed by Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed, had directed the Board of Revenue’s (BOR) senior member to place on record a report showing details of government land under encroachment and that retrieved from land-grabbers.