SWAT: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Forest Department, in collaboration with the district administration, has intensified its crackdown against the timber mafia, illegal timber markets, and forest-related crimes across the province.
As part of this ongoing drive, a joint operation was conducted on Sunday, May 17, by the Sub-Divisional Forest Officer (SDFO) of Bahrain North and the Assistant Commissioner of Bahrain against illegal carpenter shops in the Torwal Valley and Kadam Bahrain areas of Upper Swat. During the raid, authorities inspected several workshops and timber reserves involved in unlawful activities, seizing 27 pieces of illegal deodar timber totalling 84.41 cubic feet. The operation was executed under the relevant provisions of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Forest Ordinance 2002.
In a separate raid on the same day, the Assistant Commissioner and the SDFO targeted another illegal carpenter shop in Bar Kadam. The team recovered 14 illegal pine logs measuring 3.5 cubic feet, which were subsequently taken into government custody for further legal action.
According to a statement issued by Latif-ur-Rehman, Spokesperson for the Department of Climate Change, Forests, Environment and Wildlife, these operations underscore the provincial government’s zero-tolerance policy toward forest degradation. The department is tightening its grip on timber smuggling networks through coordinated field operations, rigorous surveillance, and intelligence-led law enforcement to ensure environmental sustainability and the protection of natural resources. The spokesperson emphasised that the high-altitude pine forests serve as critical guardians of the mountain ecosystem and biodiversity, warning that no individual or group damaging these natural resources will escape the law.
