ISLAMABAD: As authorities draw criticism over the large-scale cutting of trees in Islamabad, Minister of State for Health maintained on Thursday pollen allergy cases in the federal capital had been on a decline following targeted felling.
He expressed these views during a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Climate Change, which was chaired by PPP Senator Sherry Rehman and focused on the management of paper mulberry trees and ecological restoration in Islamabad.
Recently, large-scale tree removal took place in at least three locations in Islamabad, including acres of tree cover around Shakarparian. Islamabad’s CDA has maintained that only paper mulberry trees were removed as they had been causing pollen allergies. WWF-Pakistan had also disputed Islamabad authorities’ stance, stating that the action was also linked to infrastructure development.
During the briefing on Thursday, the state minister shared the National Institute of Health’s data in connection with mitigating Islamabad’s severe seasonal pollen crisis.
According to Malik, cases of pollen allergy declined from over 2,300 in 2023 to 1,031 in 2025, while overall allergy prevalence in Islamabad fell from 45.8 per cent in 2023 to 33.3pc in 2025.
This, he said, indicated a reduced per capita risk of pollen allergy despite population growth.
Malik said that the invasive paper mulberry, the scientific name for which is broussonetia papyrifera, was a non-native species and was introduced in Islamabad between the 1960s and 1980s.
“It now accounts for approximately 94pc of Islamabad’s total pollen burden,” the minister added.
He further said that the federal capital faced a “critical pollen crisis” for more than two decades, with total pollen count reaching an unprecedented 82,000 grains per cubic meter of air in 2022.
Pollen from paper mulberry, he said, posed “exceptional health risks due to its lightweight particles, which penetrate deep into the lungs and trigger severe allergic rhinitis, acute asthma exacerbations, and life-threatening status asthmaticus (acute asthma)”.
In this connection, the minister highlighted the importance of the ecological restoration programme for re-planting native species of trees in Islamabad.
He termed the initiative a vital public health intervention and said it was projected to reduce respiratory allergies in the capital by over 40pc, significantly easing seasonal burden on hospitals and emergency departments.
Meanwhile, he continued, to prevent the “aggressive re-sprouting [of paper mulberry trees], the ministry, in coordination with the Capital Development Authorty (CDA), is implementing a strict three-step eradication protocol involving cutting, complete uprooting of the root system, and soil compaction”.
“Of the approximately 80,000 paper mulberry trees identified for removal across Islamabad, 29,115 have been cleared to date, with priority given to high-density areas including F-9 Park and Shakarparian,” he said.
Moreover, the committee was informed that ecological restoration remained central to the initiative.
The minister further said that under the restoration policy, three indigenous trees were being planted for every paper mulberry removed.
By April, approximately 90,000 native trees, including Kachnar, Amaltas, Desi Toot, and drought-resilient Pilkan, would be planted to restore the capital’s natural ecosystem, he said, adding that the initiative is supported through public-private partnerships with contributions from Oil and Gas Development Company Limited, Mira Power and Beaconhouse.
The minister concluded his briefing, noting that the initiative aligned with international best practices in urban environmental health governance, as adopted in countries such as the United States and Australia.
He expressed hope that, by April, the project would be completed in accordance with approved technical protocols, including full ecological restoration through the plantation of indigenous species.
Meanwhile, Senator Sherry Rehman, the chairperson of the committee, urged the Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination to establish expert committees — including wildlife specialists, ecologists, environmentalists, and civil society representatives — on parks and tree management.
According to a handout, she said, “Tree plantation and tree removal are highly technical processes. We need proper committees, sub-committees, experts on board, and credible public hearings”.
She said that the public’s concerns must be addressed through credible, transparent processes.
“It is the capital city of Pakistan; its green spaces are essential to conserve and preserve. We must add to Islamabad’s natural green cover, not diminish it,” she said.
She concluded by urging the Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination and the CDA to establish a proper consultation and coordination matrix, and expert-led committee structure, ensuring that environmental protection remains central to development planning.
