KARACHI: A Greener Pakistan initiative launched to celebrate the 71stIndependence Day of the country in a befitting manner led to planting thousands of plants and tree saplings both in Karachi and Rawalpindi.

President of National Forum of Environment and Health (NFEH) Naeem Qureshi informed this to the audience of a programme held the other day at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) to celebrate the Independence Day of Pakistan.

The ceremony featured colourful presentations, skits, and plantation activity on a large scale at the hospital premises.

Qureshi said that only JPMC so far had witnessed planting 6500 trees and plants under the current drive as head of the Psychiatric Department of the hospital Dr Iqbal Afridi had lent full support to this campaign.

He said that best of care was being provided to these newly planted plant saplings and trees. Another 1,000 trees will soon be planted in the hospital premises so that the patients admitted to the hospital, attendants, and its other visitors could be provided best of the environment.

Qureshi said that the Saylani Welfare Trust had been providing all out support to further the Greener Pakistan Campaign. Under this campaign, 500 trees have been planted in different schools of District Central of Karachi; 1,000 trees in Police Headquarters Garden; another 1,000 trees in Bin Qasim Industrial Area in collaboration with trade and industry association of the area; 200 trees in a school of Safoora Goth; while 300 trees have been planted in other parts of the city in collaboration with different NGOs.

The team of NFEH also participated in the plantation drive launched by the Cantonment Board Karachi at the Christian Cemetery and in its surrounding areas as 4,000 trees were planted there in this campaign.

The NFEH also carried out the plantation drive at the “Markaz-e-Umeed” the centre for rehabilitation and education of special children. The NFEH also took part in various plantation initiatives launched by Chairman of District Municipal Corporation Central Rehan Hashmi and other concerned NGOs.

The NFEH also took part in the plantation drive launched by Rawalpindi Waste Management Company as under this campaign 500 trees were planted at the landfill site of the Rawalpindi city.

NFEH president said that Greener Pakistan campaign would continue in Karachi till mid of the month of September. He said that people would be provided free of charge plant saplings in order to encourage them to participate in the tree plantation drive. The ongoing campaign will witness planting 1,000 trees in 20 schools being managed by the Education Department of the DMC Central.

He also said that the NFEH and its partner organizations would fully take care of the trees and plant saplings being planted under the Greener Pakistan campaign till their full growth.

The ceremony held at the JPMC on Friday and it was attended among others by Executive Director of the hospital Dr Seemi Jamali, Dr Iqbal Afridi, Dr Hamid Shafqat, large number of doctors, officials, and para-medical staff of the hospitals. Later, the participants witnessed the tree plantation carried out in different wards and departments of the hospital.