Islamabad, August 18, 2025: President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday called for a united national response to climate change, urging citizens to actively participate in the nationwide Monsoon Tree Plantation Drive under the Green Pakistan Programme.
In their separate messages at the launch of the campaign, the two leaders said that over 41 million saplings will be planted across the country between August and October.
President Zardari, citing recent devastation caused by floods and cloudbursts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and other regions, stressed the urgent need for decisive action. “Trees are the lifeline of our environment and one of the strongest defenses against climate change,” he said, noting their role in cleaning air, regulating climate, conserving water, preventing floods and landslides, and sustaining biodiversity.
He said the Green Pakistan Programme aims to expand forest cover, rehabilitate degraded lands, and restore ecological balance. “The well-being and progress of any nation are grounded in the preservation of its forests and natural environment,” he added, appealing to all citizens to plant saplings for a greener, cleaner, and more prosperous Pakistan.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif underscored that Pakistan’s forest cover stands at only five percent — far below what is required for environmental protection. He said unusual monsoon rains and flash floods have once again highlighted the country’s vulnerability to climate change.
“Increasing tree plantation is essential to safeguard against harmful impacts of climate change,” the prime minister said. He urged the people to see plantation as a national, environmental, and climate duty, emphasizing that the drive would not only protect natural resources but also improve soil fertility and promote biodiversity.
“Let us unite and participate in this campaign in an organised manner so that a green, healthy, clean, and prosperous Pakistan becomes the destiny of our future generations,” he said.
