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ISLAMABAD: As authorities draw criticism<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Recently, large-scale tree removal took place in at least three locations in Islamabad, including acres of tree cover around Shakarparian. Islamabad\u2019s CDA has maintained that only paper mulberry<\/u><\/a> trees were removed as they had been causing pollen allergies<\/u><\/a>. WWF-Pakistan had also disputed <\/a>Islamabad authorities\u2019 stance, stating that the action was also linked to infrastructure development.<\/p>\n During the briefing on Thursday, the state minister shared the National Institute of Health\u2019s data in connection with mitigating Islamabad\u2019s severe seasonal pollen crisis.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n This, he said, indicated a reduced per capita risk of pollen allergy despite population growth.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cIt now accounts for approximately 94pc of Islamabad\u2019s total pollen burden,\u201d the minister added.<\/p>\n He further said that the federal capital faced a \u201ccritical pollen crisis\u201d for more than two decades, with total pollen count reaching an unprecedented 82,000 grains per cubic meter of air in 2022.<\/p>\n Pollen from paper mulberry, he said, posed \u201cexceptional 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)\u201d.<\/p>\n In this connection, the minister highlighted the importance of the ecological restoration programme for re-planting native species of trees in Islamabad.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, he continued, to prevent the \u201caggressive 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\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cOf 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,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Moreover, the committee was informed that ecological restoration remained central to the initiative.<\/p>\n The minister further said that under the restoration policy, three indigenous trees were being planted for every paper mulberry removed.<\/p>\n By April, approximately 90,000 native trees, including Kachnar, Amaltas, Desi Toot, and drought-resilient Pilkan, would be planted to restore the capital\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Senator Sherry Rehman, the chairperson of the committee, urged the Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination to establish expert committees \u2014 including wildlife specialists, ecologists, environmentalists, and civil society representatives \u2014 on parks and tree management.<\/p>\n