PESHAWAR: Residents have complained that a devastating fire has been raging for the past month in the Brikot-Sheringal Forest Division of Upper Dir, destroying vast stretches of woodland while government officials and elected representatives remain silent.
Addressing a press conference at the Peshawar Press Club, President of Dir Welfare Organization Haji Yousaf said that several key forest compartments , including Hetkoon Banda (Compartment 269), Bashamba Banda (Compartment 270), and Kangal (Compartments 273, 272, and 271 under Range Patrak), have been engulfed by the fire.
He said villagers from Brikot have been struggling for nearly a month to extinguish the flames on their own, but the fire continues to spread rapidly across the dense forest.As a result, valuable deodar trees worth billions of rupees are turning to ash, causing enormous environmental and economic losses.
Residents said the affected area is located four hours’ walk from Kumrat Road, with no water sources, no equipment, and no access routes, making firefighting nearly impossible for locals.They accused the Forest Department, the local MNA and MPA, and other provincial institutions of acting as “silent spectators” despite the scale of destruction.
“Our elected representatives should have raised this issue on the assembly floor, but they have chosen to stay silent,” the speakers said.They warned that the fire is now spreading to other nearby areas, raising fears of irreversible damage.
The Dir Welfare Organization appealed to the Pakistan Army to step in and assist in firefighting efforts, saying the situation can no longer be managed without aerial support.“There is no solution without a helicopter. The fire is spreading quickly, and the losses are becoming irreparable,” they said.
They demanded a judicial inquiry into how the fire started and why public and national assets were allowed to burn for a month without intervention.The speakers urged the provincial government to immediately deploy machinery, manpower, and resources to control the blaze.
