ISLAMABAD: In light of a consensus on the removal of hazardous paper mulberry trees from F-9 Fatima Jinnah Park, the Supreme Court on Wednesday withdrew its order stopping the civic authorities from tree-cutting in the park.

A three-member bench led by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, however, told the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to remove further trees in line with the guidelines provided by forest experts, whose assistance was sought at the previous hearing. The CDA staff will strictly follow their directions in removing the paper mulberry trees from the park.

On March 4, the Supreme Court had asked two Inspector General Forests (IGF) Dr Syed Mehmood Nasir and Syed Ghulam Qadir Shah for assistance, besides restraining further deforestation inside the park.

The case of F-9 trees was taken up under Article 184(3) after the registrar of the Supreme Court put up a note before the three-judge committee constituted under section 2 of the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Act, 2023 to consider whether suo moto proceedings may be commenced in connection with large-scale deforestation in the park. The citizenshad also asked the SC to intervene to save the park from deforestation being led by the CDA.

`Invasive species` On Wednesday, the expert foresters appointed by the Supreme Court furnished a joint report in which they stated that there were no laws to restrict the plantation of alien invasive species, like the paper mulberry trees, which were extremely injurious to health.

Besides, the CDA does not have an appropriate standard operating procedure (SOP) regarding the cutting of trees.

Highlighting the need for a proper procedure to be followed, the foresters told the court the calculation regarding timber after cutting the trees from the park was done on the basis of an unauthentic volume table.

The experts stated that as per the leading taxonomists, paper mulberry was extremely injurious and should be removed. Its roots should also be removed as if left in the soil, they can regenerate into a tree again, they added.

The experts also referred to another alien invasive species Ipil-ipil, which, they recalled, was planted with the assistance of the US during the Afghan Jihad.

They said this species was also invasive.