Islamabad, July 13, 2026: A sub-committee of the Senate Standing Committee on Kashmir Affairs, Gilgit-Baltistan and States and Frontier Regions (SAFRON) on Monday reviewed the implementation, management and transparency of the forest conservation working plan for private forests in Gilgit-Baltistan, directing authorities to tighten oversight and accountability to curb illegal logging.
The meeting, held at Parliament House, was chaired by Senator Faisal Saleem Rehman and attended by Senators Nasir Mehmood and Nadeem Ahmed Bhutto.
During the meeting, the Secretary of the Ministry of Kashmir Affairs and the Chief Conservator of Forests briefed the committee on the 30-year Forest Working Plan (2021-2050). The committee was informed that although the forests in Gilgit-Baltistan are privately owned, local communities had advocated for a scientific forest management system to regulate the sector sustainably.
According to the briefing, the plan covers 122,863 acres across six forest ranges, divided into 343 compartments. Harvesting is restricted to dead, dying, diseased, mature and over-mature trees to ensure sustainable forest conservation.
The committee was told that multidisciplinary validation teams are assessing each compartment using GIS mapping and GPS tracking to ensure transparency and eliminate bias. Of the 125 compartments reviewed during the revalidation process, 72 were recommended for operations, while 53 were declared unsuitable for harvesting.
Officials said felling orders have so far been issued for six compartments, with an estimated initial extraction of 380,481 cubic feet of timber out of a total recommended sustainable yield exceeding 5.4 million cubic feet.
Committee members voiced concern over inconsistent forest management policies and interventions over the past 26 years, observing that government policies since the 1990s had often focused on revenue generation rather than long-term conservation. They said this approach had undermined public trust and contributed to incidents of illegal logging.
The lawmakers stressed the need for rigorous verification mechanisms and stricter monitoring of timber transportation to prevent illegal movement of wood and safeguard the region’s forests.
The sub-committee also issued a series of directives aimed at strengthening accountability. The Forest Department was instructed to submit complete service records and performance details of all its 1,200 employees, along with structural documents and historical records dating back to 2003 for the committee’s review.
The committee further directed that no transit licences for timber transportation would be issued until physical verification of lessees is completed, logging targets are validated, and an effective oversight mechanism is put in place.
