Islamabad High Court Orders CDA to Halt Tree Cutting, Demands Detailed Report Ahead of February 2 Hearing

ISLAMABAD – The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday barred the Capital Development Authority (CDA) from continuing its controversial tree-cutting campaign across the federal capital until the next hearing scheduled for February 2. The court also directed the CDA to submit a detailed report on the matter by that date.

The directives were issued by Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro during the hearing of a petition filed by Muhammad Naveed Ahmad. Advocate Muddasir Latif Abbasi, representing the petitioner, argued that the deforestation activities in Islamabad violated multiple laws, including the Pakistan Environmental Protection Act 1997, and posed serious environmental risks.

“The ongoing tree removal in Islamabad is causing significant environmental changes, which are dangerous,” Advocate Abbasi told the court.

In response, the judge asked the Assistant Attorney General (AAG) about the reasons behind the tree-cutting activities. Subsequently, notices were issued to the CDA, Pakistan Environment Protection Agency (Pak-EPA), and the Ministry of Climate Change, requesting formal responses. Justice Soomro emphasized that a para-wise detailed report must be submitted before the next hearing.

The court adjourned the hearing until February 2, explicitly instructing the CDA to halt all tree-cutting operations in Islamabad until then.

The petition, filed under Article 199 of the Constitution, comes amid growing public outcry over a large-scale deforestation drive across multiple locations in the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), including areas around Shakarparian.

Earlier, Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry told the National Assembly that 29,115 trees had been removed, citing three “possible causes” for the action, and assured that a larger number of trees would be planted in the coming months.

While the CDA previously claimed that only paper mulberry trees were cut due to pollen allergies, WWF-Pakistan revealed that the removal was also linked to infrastructure development projects across the capital.

This latest move by the IHC reflects rising environmental concerns in Islamabad and emphasizes the need for sustainable urban planning and tree conservation in Pakistan’s capital.