Islamabad picks concrete over trees, angering residents

Islamabad was once known for its lush greenery, but the felling of trees across the city for infrastructure and monuments has prompted local anger and even lawsuits.

Built in the 1960s, the city was planned as a green city, with wide avenues, parks and tree-lined sectors.

Many residents fear that vision is steadily being eroded, with concrete replacing green spaces.

Muhammad Naveed took the authorities to court this year over “large-scale tree cutting” for infrastructure projects, accusing them of felling “many mature trees” and leaving land “barren”.

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) blamed major infrastructure development, including road construction and monuments, for the mass razing of trees and natural vegetation in Islamabad.

Between 2001 and 2024, the capital lost 14 hectares of tree cover, equal to 20 football pitches, according to Global Forest Watch, though the figure does not account for tree cover gains during the same period.

For Kamran Abbasi, a local trader and resident since the 1980s, it feels like “they are cutting trees everywhere”.

“It is not the same anymore,” he told AFP.

“Trees are life. Thousands are cut to build one bridge.”

Smog and pollen

Meanwhile, air quality in Islamabad continues to deteriorate.

Pollution is a longstanding problem, but plants can help by filtering dirty air, absorbing harmful gases and cooling cities.

“Forests act as powerful natural filters … cleaning the air and water, and reducing the overall impact of pollution,” Muhammad Ibrahim, director of WWF-Pakistan’s forest programme, told AFP.

There were no good air quality days in Islamabad last month, with all but two classed as “unhealthy” or “very unhealthy” by monitoring organisation IQAir.

While some trees are felled for infrastructure, officials justify removing others to tackle seasonal pollen allergies that are especially acute in spring.

That problem is largely attributed to paper mulberry trees, which were planted extensively during the city’s early development.

“The main reason is pollen allergy,” said Abdul Razzaq, an official from the Capital Development Authority (CDA) in Islamabad.

“People suffer from chest infections, asthma and severe allergic reactions.
I do too,” he told AFP.

The government plans to remove 29,000 pollen-producing trees and plants, according to a recent WWF report.

However, critics argue that pollen allergies are an excuse to justify broader tree-cutting.

The solution lies not in indiscriminate tree removal, but careful urban planning, experts say, replanting with non-allergenic species — and greater transparency around development projects in the capital.

In recent months, large bulldozers have been spotted levelling former green belts and wooded areas, including near major highways.

According to WWF and unnamed government officials, some of the cleared land is tapped for monuments commemorating the brief but intense armed conflict between Pakistan and neighbouring India last May.

Naveed’s court case seeking to halt the widespread felling, which is still being heard, argues there is “no excuse” for the tree loss. In reply to Naveed’s petition, authorities said roads and infrastructure projects were approved under regulations dating back to 1992.