PESHAWAR: Speakers at a seminar on Friday urged the government to take concrete steps to address the increasing environmental pollution by checking massive deforestation.

The seminar was organised by the Journalists Welfare Safety and Development Foundation (JWSDF) here in collaboration with the Peshawar Press Club to mark the International Forest Day and highlight environmental issues in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Among the speakers were provincial parliamentary secretary for environment Haji Fazal Ellahi, MPA Arif Yousaf Advocate, Pakistan Muslim League-N MPA Sobia Khan, Peshawar Press Club President Nasir Hussain, Khyber Union of Journalists President Nisar Mehmood, Mian Farooq Firaq, Bakhtzada Yousufzai, and the JWSDF chairman.

They highlighted the environmental issues and said the growth of forests was imperative to address the increasing global warming and urged the government to take effective steps to counter growing deforestation in the province.

The speakers said pollution was growing due to the negligence of successive governments, lack of public awareness, less attention of media, activeness of timber smugglers and selfishness on part of the people living close to the forests.

The parliamentary secretary said the successive governments had failed to take prompt action against timberin the province.

He said timber smugglers had caused huge financial losses to the provincial exchequer and that the provincial government had introduced a concrete policy to check smuggling of timber in the hilly areas of the province and save trees.

Regarding the growth of forest, Mr Ellahi said the provincial government had launched a Green Growth Project to ensure green and clean province under which more than two billion saplings would be planted during the next five years.

MPA Arif Yousaf stressed the need for coordinated efforts and contribution from other political parties, civil society organisations, and media to address environmental hazards to make the province pollution-free.

PML-N lawmaker Sobia Khan said all political parties should play proactive role for addressing ecological threats and deforestation issues.

She said the PML-N-led federal government was committed to jointly resolving all issues, including those related to environment, along with all federating units.

Earlier, the JWSDF chairman shed light on significance of the International Forest Day and appreciated participants, especially lawmakers and representatives of civil society organisations, for showing keen interest in resolution of environmental issues.Later, parliamentary secretary Fazal Ellahi, PMLN MPA Sobia Khan and other guests planted saplings on the premises of the press club.