There was a time when, during the extension of Margalla Road in Islamabad, it had a bend to go around old trees. However, the city that was once known for its ability to conserve greenery and bloom every season is now under the spell of massive tree massacres and bonsai plantations.
In 2025, hailstorms and cloudbursts hit the calm, scenic city of Islamabad. These extreme weather events are nature’s way of expressing its discontent with humanity’s disruptive practices. The phenomenon indicates governance inadequacies and nature is not the only one discontent with it. Traditional plantation patterns require tech-based supervision and adequate legislative oversight to avoid the adverse effects of bonsai urbanism.
Episodic tree slaughter in Islamabad in the name of urbanism and allergy prevention attracted severe criticism from society. Authorities decided to cut down trees to eliminate pollen allergies at the expense of reducing the oxygen supply to citizens. In the face of growing public discontent, hasty tree-planting drives were carried out without regard for seasonal factors, reflecting poor ecological sense. The Islamabad High Court (IHC) also issued directives to prohibit further tree slaughter, but only under mounting pressure of condemnation. Nevertheless, the reactionary model is not a solution to the uncertainty surrounding the growing threat of climate change.
The recurrent plantation schemes, such as the ‘Spring Tree Plantation Drive 2025’ or the ‘Aik Beti Aik Shajar’ drive, indicate a mere greenwashing of the climate-insensitive approach. Climate activists from Islamabad have expressed concerns about the management of resources allocated for such plantation drives. The nurseries designated to provide plants for such drives deny access, claiming that they do not have suitable species or sizes of plants and instead offer expensive hybrid non-native varieties. Experts say the authorities prioritise infrastructure and development plans over the conservation of greenery or the promotion of plantation drives, as evidenced by the recurrent construction schemes around Islamabad.
On January 13, 2026, World Wildlife-Pakistan also issued a statement declaring that the annual tree purge in Islamabad is driven by infrastructure plans, not by the intent to eliminate allergies, as claimed. Even though a few immediate measures have been taken to address the controversy, the state still lacks sufficient legislative instruments, sanction mechanisms and expert oversight to regulate the removal of old trees and the planting of new ones.
In addition to tree erasure, bonsai and hybrid plants have emerged as a new trend in the capital and around new development schemes. While seeming to enhance the ornamental value of the landscape, bonsais offer less, cost much more and require more maintenance than regular native plants. On the other hand, they do not serve as carbon sinks, soil anchors and environmental regulators like traditional plants do. The green canopy offered by decades-old Peepal, Banyan, Sukh-chain, Kikar, Bukain and Sheshum trees during hot summer afternoons cannot be replaced by the shrub-sized green appearance of a hybrid variety.
Another variant of ornamental plantation is the extensive shift towards palm trees. While palm trees offer an elevated aesthetic appeal, which is significant to the deluxe development models of Gulf states, they are not suitable for Islamabad’s climate. Palms are accustomed to hot, dry terrains and tropical coastal areas. In topographies such as Islamabad, they offer less in terms of climate regulation and require more care due to dry winters and less humid summers. The impact is evident in differences in air quality across sectors susceptible to the bonsai trend. While the impacts are starkly visible in the capital, the trend is not limited to Islamabad; it extends to all large cities.
The rows of bonsai trees and hybrid greenery along Murree Road catch the eye as one travels towards Rawalpindi. The emerging housing societies proximal to the inter-city motorway (M-3), all the way to Chakri, are another disastrous move. Acres of green, arid land have been exploited for urbanisation outside the core urban hubs. One wonders why these societies cannot be forced to ensure plantation during construction phases and use tree transplants to shift grown trees.
Overall, this disastrous shift can be attributed to multiple factors. First, governance failures by the development authorities. The ‘Mali Culture’ in the governance sector, where decision-makers assume charge as botanical experts to develop plantation plans, is detrimental to ecology. The loopholes in these plans allow the timber and nursery mafia to exploit the environment. While timber-selling gangs directly benefit from episodic tree slaughters in the city, the nursery mafia profits from hybrid and ornamental plants that cannot sustain the local climate and require repeated investments.
In the face of these developments, the best that authorities can do is come up with narratives such as the paper mulberry and new plantation story. If machinery worth millions can be brought for construction, why not tree transplanter machines? In fact, tree-possessing transplanters should be made compulsory for all housing authorities.
Reactionary policies and ad hoc measures, in addition to the commercialisation of natural resources such as trees and the environment, are deteriorating the ecological balance. Sufficient legal oversight and sanction mechanisms are required to deal with the growing threat of climate change. Moreover, policymaking regarding environmental issues or urban development plans should include input from experts from institutes established for such matters. The National Agriculture Research Centre (NARC), Arid Agriculture University and the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board have sufficient expertise and advisory mechanisms.
The world, both in terms of climate disruption and technological upgradation, has evolved. Pakistan is the fifth most climate-vulnerable country in the world, yet it is also a state growing in its non-kinetic satellite capabilities. The recently launched hyperspectral satellite (HS-1) of Pakistan can provide oversight into the nature and impact of tree cutting and rapid urbanisation to facilitate policymaking. It can also assist the development of sustainable urban plans. Inclusive policies, appropriate laws and a sustainable approach can pave the way for the conservation of Pakistan’s life-saving green cover.
The writer is a research assistant at the Centre for Aerospace & Security Studies (CASS), Islamabad, Pakistan. She can be reached at: [email protected]
