If you drove past Shakarparian or the H-8 green belt this week, you probably did a double-take. The “Green City” looks different. It looks… naked, they keep cutting trees, but why?
Over the last few months, chainsaws have been buzzing across the capital. The official reason? “Pollen Reduction.” The Capital Development Authority (CDA) claims they are removing the “allergenic Paper Mulberry” trees to save us from sneezing. But the reality on the ground tells a scarier story.
Here is why the Great Tree Massacre of 2026 is pushing Islamabad into the same grave as Lahore.
1. The “Paper Mulberry” Myth
Let’s be fair: Paper Mulberry is a pest. It causes severe allergies. But what is happening in Shakarparian isn’t surgical removal; it’s clear-cutting.
- The Scale: Reports suggest nearly 30,000 trees have been chopped in this drive.
- The Damage: Witnesses and environmentalists allege that in the haste to clear the mulberry, hundreds of indigenous, non-allergenic trees (like Kachnar and Sheesham) have become “collateral damage.”
- The Result: The soil is now exposed. In a city that relies on these green buffers to absorb heat, we have just created massive “Heat Islands” right next to the Expressway.
2. Cutting Trees – Islamabad is becoming Lahore (The AQI Race)
We used to laugh at Lahore. We used to say, “Thank God we live in Isloo, where the air is clean.” Stop laughing. In the first week of January 2026, Islamabad’s AQI hit 241. That isn’t “Moderate.” That is “Unhealthy.”
We are following the exact same playbook that destroyed Lahore:
- Cut trees to widen roads (Park Road expansion).
- Replace 50-year-old canopy trees with tiny 2-foot saplings.
- Act surprised when the smog traps the city two years later.
3. The Lahore Warning
Lahore is our ghost of Christmas Future. Data from 2000 to 2025 shows Lahore lost 13% of its vegetation while its concrete area grew by 17%. The result?
- Average Temperature: Up by 2°C.
- Smog Season: Now lasts 4 months instead of 1.
- Life Expectancy: Reduced by 7 years due to lung damage.
Islamabad is currently at the “2010 Lahore” stage. We still have time, but if we continue clearing 15 acres of forest for “aesthetic views” or “pollen control,” we will be wearing N95 masks permanently by 2030.
4. The Future: 2030 Predictions
If this trajectory continues, here is what Islamabad looks like in 4 years:
- Flash Floods: Without tree roots to hold the soil, the next monsoon (July 2026) will see massive mudslides on the Margalla Road.
- The 50°C Summer: The “Urban Heat Island” effect will make sectors like H-8 and I-10 unlivable without 24/7 AC (which we can’t afford).
The Verdict
The Interior Minister took notice of the cutting this week. That is good PR. But trees don’t grow back with notices. Replacing a 40-foot tree with a 6-inch sapling isn’t “reforestation”—it’s a lie that takes 20 years to catch up.
To the CDA: Stop cutting. To the Citizens: Stop buying “Files” in housing societies that are built on top of our forests.
Are you seeing the tree cutting in your sector? Share the photos.